Up In Flames
by PalmerPie
Summary: She had a dark past. One that involved fire. After bumping into the Flock, she is inexplicably drawn to Iggy. The only problem, Iggy's a pyromaniac. And he plays with something that she's been avoiding for years. Fire. Will she and Iggy be able to be together? Or will their relationship go up in flames? IggyxOC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Maximum Ride series or any other James Patterson series.**

* * *

Chapter One

_Fire. There was fire everywhere. She could feel the flames lick against her body, sending tingling sensation everywhere but never burning her. No, they would never burn her. They were a part of her. The fire was growing, growing to the point where nothing could stop it and everything in its way burned to the ground. Everything she loved. It burned brighter and brighter, consuming everything around it, until finally, the fire-_

"No!" she gasped, as she startled awake, almost falling out of the tree she had been sleeping in. It was like this every night. She would find some shelter and try to get some rest, only to have the same nightmare over and over again, stopping it right when the fire got too bright. _Fire_. She shuddered at the word. Fire was why she was all alone. It was why she had no home. It was how the Lab burned down. And everyone in it.

_Everyone except me_, she thought bitterly. She was the only one that she knew of that had survived. All of her friends: Nina, Suki, Chase, Xavier, gone. All of them gone. She felt tears prick the back of her eyes and pushed them back.

_You have to stay strong_, she told herself. _It's what they would have wanted._

She stretched and blinked the remaining sleep from her eyes, careful not to fall off the branch she was sitting in. She gracefully jumped to the floor, making sure not to make a sound as she padded across the forest floor. She wasn't sure where she was, or where she was going, but she would keep on moving, travelling city to city until she found her purpose. Because she was Mackenzie Oakley, and she always found a way to survive.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The wind rushed past Mackenzie as she leaped from tree to tree, keeping her jumps light and avoiding branches that broke easily. She was smart enough to know by the smell of gunpowder in the air that there were hunters nearby and if she were to take to the sky the hunters could soon check "Shoot a winged kid out of the sky" off their list.

A gunshot rang through the trees and Mackenzie immediately froze in her spot on the tree. She could hear the soft crunch of leaves under the strangers' feet and their heavy breathing. They had obviously been running for a while. As they entered the clearing, Mackenzie was able to see the seven figures more clearly.

A girl with blonde hair and brown streaks standing at the front of the group turned to talk to the people behind her and it was obvious she was the leader. The group that the girl was speaking to consisted of three boys, two girls, and a dog. Two of the three guys looked around Mackenzie's age, one with olive skin, black hair, and wearing all black. With a tall, lanky figure, the other guy had pale white skin, strawberry blonde hair and if Mackenzie hadn't known better, she would've thought he was a vampire. The last boy was much younger looking than the other two and had the classic blonde hair, blue eye look. The younger girl looked almost exactly like the last boy, except with more angelic features and sporting a pink ribbon in her blonde locks. The older girl had dark brown curls and mocha skin and was decked out with what Mackenzie guessed was designer clothing. The last figure was a black dog, a terrier maybe?

But what shocked Mackenzie wasn't the fact that a random group of kids were running around deep in the woods in the middle of hunting season.

It was the fact that they all had wings on their backs, even the dog.

Just like her.

And the blonde haired, blue eyed girl was staring right at her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Mackenzie watched with widened eyes as the young girl said something to the leader, making all of the others turn to look around the forest searching for something.

Searching for her.

She immediately spread her wings, and rocketed out of the trees, hoping that she could at least get a head start and make it to the next town where she could blend in. Behind her, she heard a, "Wait! Stop!", but all it did was make her pump her wings harder.

Mackenzie liked to give people the benefit of the doubt, but when it came to experiments like her, she had quickly learned not to trust anyone. Especially when they had just caught her accidentally spying on them. But even as she flew toward the next city, she had a feeling that she would see those winged kids again.

_Winged kids. There are more like me out there. Could they have been from the Lab?_

Flashbacks of her time at the Lab flooded Mackenzie's mind. Had it really been three years already?

She had lived in the Lab for most of her childhood. Sleeping in the dog cages, being poked and prodded with needles, being experimented on like a lab rat, and running the mazes, she had done it most of her life. Until she had met them. They were like her, 98% human, 2% avian and 100% kick-ass. The five of them had become a family. 'The V', they would call themselves, referring to the 'V' formation birds formed when they flew together.

Nina, the sweetheart of the group, always sharing her portions with other experiments weaker and less fortunate than her.

Suki, the quiet girl. She would rarely ever talk, but when she did have something to say, it was always valuable and important information.

Xavier had been the smartest of them all, able to tell them what type of chemicals the lab workers had injected in them; just by the way they had reacted to the injection.

Chase was the leader, with good listening skills and quick, thought out plans, and Mackenzie had no doubt that Chase would have been the football captain of his high school, if he hadn't been taken to the Lab.

And then there was Mackenzie herself. She liked to consider herself the rebel of the V, having been at the Lab the longest and always spitting out insults about the lab workers' mothers and whatnot. "_Your mother's so stupid, she climbed over a glass wall to see what was on the other side. You know what they say: Like mother, like child._"

Xavier and Chase had always scolded her, telling her that one day, karma would bite her in the butt, to which she replied, "If karma plans to bite anyone in the butt, it better be them. They've done worse than insult other people's mothers."

Mackenzie wished that they could be here now to tell her what to do.

**Sorry, trying to make longer chapters!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was nighttime by the time Mackenzie arrived at God-knows-where and she was exhausted. She surveyed the city from the top of a building, already missing the fresh forest air.

Not wanting to bring any attention to her wings, Mackenzie quickly scaled down the side of the building, though it didn't make much of a difference, as most of the lights inside the building were already off and the citizens would be asleep.

She walked along the sidewalk, the street lamps casting her shadows of her tall, slender body against the buildings.

She was decked out in a black windbreaker in case it was cold, an olive green t-shirt, cargo pants and a pair of old sneakers. Her reddish brown curls were tied in a high ponytail out of her face in case she needed to run and her side swept bangs pushed to the side.

She had run out of money in the last town, so she would probably pickpocket a few people in the morning.

Mackenzie immediately found a nearby park and climbed up a large oak tree, checking to make sure that no one would be able to see her through the leaves. Yawning, she set her herself in a comfortable position and closed her eyes and the last thing she thought of before she went to sleep was the intense gaze of the small, blonde, blue-eyed girl.

* * *

_Everything was burning, the fire spreading to anything nearby. The few buildings left were crumbling to ashes and all she could was stand and watch. This nightmare was different._

_She couldn't move, her body was immobilized and there were voices, quiet whispers that said, "Let it burn! Burn it to the ground!"_

_She struggled against the invisible restraints._

"_No!" she yelled. "Let me go!"_

_There was a dark laugh as a voice said, "Beware, my little flame. This is just the beginning."_

Mackenzie shuddered awake, her skin breaking out into a cold sweat. Goose bumps ran up and down her arms, reminding her of the new nightmare. She pulled her legs up to her chest to stop the trembling and murmured to herself.

"Something big is going to happen. Something bad."

* * *

The next morning Mackenzie made her way to the city plaza. There were business men milling around late for work, sightseeing tourists looking at brochures, and people just passing by walking around the area. The corners of her lips twitched upward. It was the perfect day for picking pockets.

She immediately set out, keeping a similar pace to the people around her, occasionally bumping into them and apologizing, brushing her hand against their pockets and taking out their wallet. After taking out all the cash, she would place the wallet back into their bag or coat pocket. By noon, she had enough money to last her for the next week or two and headed to the nearest café for lunch.

As she walked along the cobblestone pathway, she heard frantic footsteps from behind as a figure slammed into her back, knocking her over. She landed on the floor with an 'Oomph' and quickly climbed to her feet, backing away from the person who had knocked her to the ground.

Had someone seen her pickpocketing? Was it the police? She brushed her bangs out of the way and looked at the culprit.

Standing in front of her, was a boy. He was slightly taller than her, probably around her age. His strawberry blonde hair glinted in the sunlight, making it look almost like a golden red. He was panting, obviously out of breath and it looked like he had been running for a while. A spark of recognition shot through Mackenzie.

"You're-" she started, only she never got time to finish her sentence as the boy grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a nearby alley.

"Hey!" she struggled against his strong grip, "What are you doing?"

He pressed Mackenzie and himself against the wall.

"Listen," he whispered, "I'm really sorry about running into you. Could you stay quiet for a moment? Just until I say otherwise?"

Mackenzie huffed, but stayed silent as he said. They stood there for a few minutes, hidden in the shadows, the silence becoming more and more unbearable for her. Finally, just as she was about to say something, another voice interrupted her.

"I swear I saw him go this way."

"How could you have lost him already?"

"Me? You insisted on stopping for an ice cream cone!"

"He's the blind one isn't he? I didn't think he would get very far."

"You're such an idiot! This was our chance! The others have already lost the rest of them. If you hadn't been in the mood for Ben and Jerry's, we could've caught this one and gotten high praise from the scientists!"

"I'm sorry, okay? Let's just meet up with the rest of the pack and go back."

The two arguing figures walked past and Mackenzie held back a gasp. Not because they were large and hairy and would scare anyone on the street. Not because she knew that before they morphed they looked like tall handsome businessmen. She held back her gasp because she hadn't seen an Eraser in 3 years. And she thought they had all died in the fire.

**Hope you enjoyed.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The moment Mackenzie was sure the two Erasers were gone, she stepped away from the boy, the confusion and shock clear on her face. The boy grabbed the air around him, as if feeling for her.

"Hello?" he called out, "Are you there?"

Mackenzie was taken aback. She was right in front of him. Couldn't he see her? She waved her hand in front of his face. He just stood there, as if staring at nothing.

"Are-" she stopped and cleared her throat. "Are you…."

"Blind?" he said. "Yeah. Didn't you hear the two men talking?"

_Those aren't men._ Mackenzie wanted to say. But she wasn't sure how he would react. Did he know? She remembered him from forest. He had wings, just like all the others, but could she even trust him? She decided not to tell him.

"I was more focused on the ice cream part," she said, "I've never tried it before."

"What?!" the guy was by her side faster than lightning. "You've never had ice cream before?"

She bit her lip. Had she said the wrong thing?

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked him. He threw his hands up in the air.

"Of course! How could you have never eaten ice cream before?"

Mackenzie fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well, I've never really thought about it much."

The boy grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out the alley. She stopped him.

"Where are we going? I don't even know your name!"

He gave her a cheeky grin. "I'm Iggy, and we're going to get you your first ice cream."

* * *

"So," Iggy said and they walked along the road. "What's your name?"

"Mackenzie," she automatically replied, then inwardly cursed herself. _What's wrong with you? You just met the guy and you just told him your real name! Did you already forget he has wings? How do you know whether or not you can trust him?_

"Mackenzie," he repeated, as if testing her name out. "Suits you."

"How would you know, you can't even see me," she said. Iggy went silent and Mackenzie immediately felt guilty for letting her sharp tongue get the best of her.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "That was rude of me to say. I'm just not really used to talking to people."

He shrugged. "It's fine, I have another friend who doesn't say much either."

They walked on the sidewalk in silence until Mackenzie finally asked, "Are we almost there yet?"

Iggy stopped in his tracks. "I thought you were bringing us there!"

Her jaw dropped. "Me? I'm not even from here! I thought you knew where you were going!"

He waved his arms dramatically in the air. "Hello? I'm blind! You can't let a blind guy lead you around! Plus, I'm just visiting with my friends!"

Mackenzie sighed. "Looks like we better ask around."

* * *

After asking several people around them, Mackenzie was finally able to navigate the pair to a place called Cold Stone Creamery. They entered the small shop, the little bell by the door ringing, signaling their arrival. Mackenzie was immediately greeted with the site of people walking around or sitting at the tables, eating out of a bowl or from a brown cone of what seemed to be what Iggy had described as ice cream. It looked smooth and creamy, sometimes chunky, and was in a large variety of colors. They walked up to the line, Iggy promising her that it would be the best thing she ever had. He ordered five sundaes, 2 banana splits, and a chocolate ice cream cone. Just an appetizer for a mutant bird kid. Not wanting to make him suspicious about herself, Mackenzie just ordered a large bowl of strawberry ice cream, mostly because it reminded her of the color of Iggy's hair and she wanted to honor him, as he was the first to introduce her to ice cream.

They sat in a booth right by the door and along the window; in case she saw someone and they needed make a quick escape. Iggy immediately dug right in, shoving spoonful after spoonful of sundae in his mouth. Mackenzie watched him, mostly amused and also curious. Did everyone eat ice cream like this? She took her spoon and poked at one of the scoops in her bowl, pushing the spoon into the ice cream. The piece she had poked separated from the scoop, and she watched as it sat at the edge of the bowl melting. Iggy had already finished 3 sundaes, and was about start on his fourth one when he suddenly stopped and looked up, his unfocused, cloudy, light blue eyes staring at Mackenzie.

"Well?" he asked, "What are you waiting for? Try some!"

He sat there waiting and Mackenzie realized he would continue waiting until she ate a bite. Sighing, she scooped up some of the half melting ice cream and took a bite. Flavor exploded in her mouth, blinding every one of her senses. Her eyes widened. The cool, strawberry taste tingled on her tongue and she quickly took another bite. And another. And another. She ate the ice cream like there was no tomorrow and soon, her bowl had been polished, empty, and licked clean as Mackenzie leaned back into the chair, exhausted from her ice cream frenzy. She looked up and saw Iggy grinning at her, his mouth covered in leftover chocolate syrup, his sundaes and banana splits all done.

"Was it as good as I promised you?" he questioned, that smug grin still on his face.

"Better," she reassured him, and he laughed.

They spent the next few minutes talking and joking around, until Iggy suddenly muttered to himself, "Go away, Angel."

"Do you need to go?" Mackenzie asked, ignoring the twinge of disappointment she felt at the thought of her new friend leaving. Then, she remembered what she was here for.

_Survive this town, move onto the next. Survive the next town and move onto the next. Until you find your purpose._ she told herself. Iggy was just a distraction from the real world, the first one to introduce her to ice cream, and even though she was incredibly thankful for that, she had to get back to the real world now.

Her gaze travelled to the window, where she quickly spotted five other kids and a dog in the center of the plaza she had been earlier this morning, searching for someone. The same ones from the forest. She immediately stood up, startling Iggy and making him stand up as well.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, "I mean this is the first time that I've ever been alone with a girl. Heck, this is the first time I've ever been alone with someone other than one of my friends. What I'm trying to say is that I've never been on a date before, unless this isn't a date, well in that case, things just got incredibly awkward and man do I sound like Nudge right now."

Mackenzie shook her head in answer to his first question, not understanding the rest of his ramble, but realizing that he couldn't see her shake her head and said, "No! Nothing's wrong and I enjoyed hanging out with you and the ice cream was great, but-" she paused looking out the window. Iggy's friends were closer, not enough to notice Iggy, but they would, soon. "I have to go and your friends are coming, I think."

She stepped out of the booth, Iggy mirroring her actions, and as she tried to walk past him, he reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her for a moment.

"Wait! Will I ever see you again?" he asked, the hope on his face evident. Mackenzie considered her options. If she said no, he would probably make her stay and meet his friends and the blonde, blue eyed girl would recognize her in a heartbeat, and she wasn't had not intention of lying to a blind guy, that was just low.

"Maybe," she replied as she pulled out of his grip and rushed out the door.

She walked away from the ice cream shop, her pace a little faster than usual as she purposely avoided Iggy's friends, who were headed to the place she had just left.

She watched from a faraway distance as the youngest boy in the group hugged Iggy, saying something to him probably about how worried they were. Iggy seemed a little confused, before recognizing his friend and hugging him back. Mackenzie smiled at his relationship with the younger boy and took one final glance at Iggy, along with making sure no one was around, before spreading her wings and taking to the skies again, headed for whichever city was next.

_Maybe Iggy. Maybe._

**Thank you for the kind reviews. I finally found out how to make a horizontal line... Huzzah! Anyway, if you have any questions or suggestions, send in a review and I'll try to answer them in the next chapter. Sorry if this chapter made you hungry for ice cream. It made me hungry too.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Mackenzie spent the next few days in a nearby city, mostly because there was this one shop that had amazing tasting strawberry ice cream. It seemed to have the right amount of strawberries and the right amount of sugar and it looked almost exactly like Iggy's-

_Stop it! _She scolded herself. _You have to forget Iggy and move on._

It wasn't like she was in love with the guy or anything. They had only known each other for a few hours. But she had felt a connection. This raw, powerful connection, stronger than the bond she had with the V, which seemed ridiculous. What happened to no trusting other experiments?

Mackenzie sighed and walked inside the ice cream shop. The inside was decorated with fairy lights and some popular song was playing overhead. She hummed along to the tune as she waited in line, almost tasting the Strawberry Delight. After paying for her order, she head toward her usual spot, a small two person table hidden in the shadows near the exits. Few people walked by the area and no one ever bothered her. She ate her ice cream, savoring each and every bite. To save money, she would eat only a meal a day, as well as an ice cream every day.

_Curse you Iggy. You had to get me addicted to ice cream. How am I supposed to survive in the middle of nowhere if I can't even go a day without ice cream?_

A voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Excuse me miss, but would you mind telling me what you ordered? It looks delicious."

"Sure," she replied as she looked in the direction of the voice. "It's…"

Her voice faded as she took in the girl's appearance. She looked very young, not even 7 or 8, with sky blue eyes and a fair complexion. Her blonde curls hung in ringlets and were tied in a pink ribbon. A very familiar pink ribbon she had seen a few days ago. She looked almost like an angel. An angel…. What had Iggy said when they were talking?

_Go away, Angel._

Mackenzie's eyes widened in realization.

Crap.

* * *

She immediately jumped out of her seat, appetite gone and half eaten ice cream forgotten.

"You." she said.

The little girl smiled. _My name's Angel._

Mackenzie took a step back, startled. She didn't see Angel's mouth move at all. What was going on?

_I'm a mind reader. And I know about your wings. Iggy doesn't, but he's still thinking about you._

Mackenzie was tempted to inwardly scoff. What was he thinking about? How disgraceful she was for never trying ice cream before he came along?

_Not exactly._

She almost jumped at the second voice in her head and turned to look at the young girl.

"Please stop doing that."

Angel gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Force of habit."

"Angel!" A voice called. "Where are you?"

"Over here!" she yelled back.

"What? They're coming over here?" Mackenzie asked. She quickly started making her way toward the exit, Angel hot on her heels.

"Wait! He'll want to see you!" Angel said. Mackenzie turned her head to reply, only to slam into the figure in front of her.

"I'm sorry," she started, "I wasn't looking and-"

The person she had slammed into cut her off. "Mackenzie?"

She looked up. "Iggy?"

So much for a smooth exit…

* * *

"I guess we're even now," Mackenzie said as she sat down awkwardly at Iggy's table. Iggy had introduced her to everyone. The youngest boy she had seen hugging him the other day was Gazzy (Iggy told her not to question Gazzy's namesake), the boy in all black was Fang aka the 'emotionless rock', the mocha skinned girl in designer clothing was Nudge, the black terrier was Total, and the leader of them was-

"Maximum Ride. But call me Max."

Maximum Ride… Where had Mackenzie heard that name?

"What do you mean we're even?" Iggy asked.

"You know. The first day we met you slammed into me, today I slammed into you, we're even."

"Oh, okay."

Nudge was bouncing up and down in her seat, as if dying to say something.

"I don't want to sound rude, but is Nudge supposed to be this… hyper?" Mackenzie asked.

Gazzy laughed and Max cracked a smile. "Yeah, we call her the Nudge Channel. All Nudge, all the time."

"Omigosh!" Nudge finally squealed. "It's sooo great to meet you! You're so pretty! No wonder Iggy is so into you, not that he likes you because of your looks, because he's blind and everything, but he would not stop talking about how awesome and wonderful you are and how we HAD to find you and-"

She was cut off when Gazzy muffled her mouth with his hand. Iggy was a dark shade of red and Mackenzie was trying her best not to turn pink. Finally, after a long awkward, yet somehow comfortable silence, they continued to make conversation, Iggy talking about the time he blew up part of a school.

"And there was smoke and gas everywhere and the teacher got so scared, he started yelling, 'Fire! Fire' and all the students started screaming their heads off."

He continued telling the story, but Mackenzie had frozen when he said 'fire'. She cleared her throat nervously. "Iggy, do you, you know, play with fire? You know with bombs and stuff. You seem to blow up a lot of stuff."

Iggy gave her a wolfish grin. "Class A pyromaniac, at your service. I love fire! The smell of the smoke in the air, the warm tingling feeling, how the warmth spread across you, everything."

The room seemed to spin and panic rose in Mackenzie's throat.

_He's a pyromaniac… Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Review if you have the time. ^_^**

** ~blankytherockdorkinsnob: The funny thing is, I've never been to Coldstone or any ice cream shop before in my life. Unless you count Orange Leaf. **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Mackenzie stood up from her seat, heart racing and stammered, "I, uh, need to go use the restroom. Be right back."

She raced to the restroom, immediately heading toward the sink and splashing some cool water on her face, trying to calm her nerves down. She knew it was too good to be true. Of course Iggy was a pyromaniac. How could she not have realized? That wild, untamed glint in his eyes, his mischievous grins, it all made sense now.

She dried her face and looked into the mirror. Her face had gotten a little paler and there were small bags under her eyes from not being able to sleep. The nightmares had gotten worse and she would wake up in the middle of the night in a fit of shivers, not even bothering trying to go back to sleep, just staring into space until the sun rose.

The restroom door opened and she turned around, unsure of who the intruder was. Max stepped in and she scanned the stalls, her gaze stopping at the sinks when she saw Mackenzie. Her face wasn't hostile or threatening, it was set in a cool, calm expression. And that was what scared Mackenzie the most.

"We need to talk," Max said walking toward her. Mackenzie nodded and leaned against the wall, waiting for Max to join her. Once they were standing side by side, Max spoke.

"Angel told me. Your wings, I mean."

Mackenzie nodded again. Of course Angel would tell Max. She was the leader, after all.

"Does everyone else know?" she asked Max. Max shook her head.

"I wanted to talk to you first. Ask a few questions. We haven't seen many other experiments on the run, the Flock and I. Where did you come from?"

Mackenzie's jaw dropped in shock. "There are more that survived?"

Max's calm expression turned into one of confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"How did you all survive? How did the other experiments survive? I thought I was the only survivor. How long were you in the Lab?"

Max held her hands up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Start over. Survive what? What's the Lab?"

It was Mackenzie's turn to look confused. "You weren't from the Lab?"

Max shook her head. "We're from the School."

"The School? Like where children are educated?"

Max's expression turned bitter. "No. We lived in dog cages. We were experimented on by white coats, who would inject chemicals into us that gave us powers. Iggy went blind after an experiment went wrong and they failed to give him night vision. We had to run through mazes, and wear shoes that would electrocute us if we weren't fast enough. They even tried to auction us off as nuclear weapons to China for money. We learned a lot, but it wasn't the usual ABC's kids learned. We learned how to survive."

Mackenzie was more confused than ever. "That's almost exactly what the Lab is like."

Max's face softened. "Mackenzie… There's more than one School. They don't experiment on children in just one area. The Flock and I have travelled all over the place: Florida, New York, heck, we even went to Germany to destroy the different Schools. Your Lab was just one of them."

All the hope drained from Mackenzie's face and she felt numb. This confirmed it. She was the only survivor. She had been so determined, so ready to prove that the V had survived, that at least one of them had made it out, that she had never even considered the thought that there were more places like the Lab out there. She had been grieving, and was blinded.

Speaking of blinded… Iggy… He wasn't born blind. He had already known what it was like to see, until the School took his sight away. A wave of frustration and fury from all the years came crashing down on Mackenzie and she let out an angry yell, punching the closest nonliving thing near her, a hand dryer, and putting a large dent in the side.

She closed her eyes and counted to ten, taking deep breaths. After making sure she was calm again, she turned back to Max, sending her and apologetic look.

"Sorry," she said, "I'm not usually this…"

"Hot-headed?" Max smiled, "Don't worry. We all need to let out our anger once in a while."

Mackenzie returned the smile, only hers was more dismal, more forlorn.

"You remind me so much of Chase. He always scolded me, telling me I was acting too immature for my age, but he always knew when to comfort me when I was down."

"Chase?" Max asked.

"He was the leader of our group. The 'V' we called ourselves, like the V shape birds fly in." Mackenzie chuckled. "It's a little ironic because we never really flew in the Lab; I had to teach myself after I got out, and so we never flew in a V shape, let alone any shape."

"What happened?" Max asked, ever so softly.

Mackenzie sighed and turned to look at Max.

"If the Flock was in danger, and you were the only one that could save them, would you do it?" she asked.

Max immediately replied, "Of course."

"And in the end, if you couldn't save any of them, how would you feel?"

Max frowned, "I would feel horrible. I might not even be able to go on. But what does this have to do with-"

"What about," Mackenzie interrupted, "if you knew that part of the danger that the Flock was in, was your fault?"

"Where are you trying to say?" Max questioned.

Mackenzie looked Max right in the eye as she said, "I'm saying, that I was the one who caused the fire. The fire that burned down the Lab. The fire that killed all the white coats and Erasers inside the Lab. The fire that killed my friends, my family and all the other innocent experiments inside. What I'm trying to say Max, is that standing before you, in all her glory, is a murderess."

* * *

**Haha! Another cliffhanger! I'm evil...**

**I really do appreciate all the reviews and I hope you liked this chapter.**

**Review if you have the time and have a Good Saturday! ^_^**

**Less than three，**

**Palmer Pie**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Max's face went through a range of emotions. Disbelief, shock, surprise, but just like in the beginning, it went back to a calm and collected expression.

"It's not your fault," she insisted, "We don't have any evidence that-"

She stopped mid-sentence, as if thinking about something, then suddenly grabbed Mackenzie's arm and dragged her out of the restroom.

"What's going on?" Mackenzie asked.

"Erasers are here, the Flock's in trouble. Hurry!" Max said as they rushed back toward the table.

The scene before them was disastrous. Tables had been knocked over, the owner of the shop; a sweet elderly woman named Beverly that Mackenzie had come to like was passed out near the cash register, her eyes closed, but her chest rising up and down slowly.

All the other customers were gone, and in the center of the shop, stood a pack of Erasers, more than Mackenzie could count, holding the rest of the Flock captive, even poor Total, who had been placed into a cage. The rest of the Flock was panting hard, with a few minor injuries, and they had obviously tried to fight back. Several of them had turned around when noticing Max and Mackenzie come into the room and they all had evil grins on their wolfish faces, canines sharp and pointed.

"There she is!" one of the Erasers crooned, pointing at Max. "I knew one of them was missing. And look! She brought a-"

His words died out as he looked at Mackenzie. His eyes grew wide and he startled a few steps back in shock.

"Sir what's wrong?" another Eraser asked. The Eraser in shock blinked and walked toward Mackenzie, not stopping until he was right in front of her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Max going into a fighting stance and the Flock's worried faces. She stared into the Eraser's eyes, hoping to find any trace of humanity left. His eyes were a dull gray, the light and happiness faded over the years. He seemed to recognize Mackenzie, yet she was sure no one else had escaped the fire.

"I know you," he growled. He reached out and grabbed her arm, only to immediately let go, clutching the hand he had used to grab her with.

"She burned me!" he roared in anger. Several of the other Erasers came forward but he put his hand in the air, stopping them. Mackenzie's face had paled.

"No…" she murmured, grabbing her own arm. Nothing happened. "That's impossible…"

The Eraser in front of her snapped his fingers, as if thinking of an idea.

"Now I remember!" he said, "You were from the Lab! Their biggest project."

"No," Mackenzie shook her head. She didn't want those painful memories to resurface. "No…"

The Eraser's scowl had turned into a full blown grin.

"That's right," he continued, "You and your little bird friends. The scientists were planning something big for you. You were going to help them change the world."

Mackenzie shook her head even harder.

"No!" she yelled, "I would never help them!"

The Eraser shrugged and sneered at her. "It's not like it matter now. They're all gone. All your little bird friends too. The School was right when they said you had the power to change the world. You would probably burn it down, just like you did with your friends. Burn it all down."

Mackenzie stumbled back, as if punched in the face, clutching her head, the horrible nightmares coming back.

"Stop it! Stop it stop it stop it!" she cried.

Hot fury washed over her bones as she thought about the V: sweet Nina, quiet Suki, comforting Chase, smart Xavier, all their faces. She had never even gotten a chance to say goodbye.

Then there was the Flock: silent Fang, sweet Gazzy, mind reader Angel, chatterbox Nudge, Total the dog, their leader Max. And Iggy. The funny, goofy pyromaniac Iggy. Blind because of the School, unable to see the world around him.

_Burn it all down,_ the voices had said.

Mackenzie closed her eyes, recalling all the horrible things the Lab had done to her.

Burn it all.

She clenched her fists and in the background, there were cries and yelps of agonizing pain. She could hear voices yelling, saying something that Mackenzie couldn't hear. And suddenly, there was no noise at all, the smell of something burning in the air. Mackenzie opened her eyes and gasped.

The Erasers were gone, where they had been standing replaced with ashes on the floor. The whole Flock was wide eyed and staring at Mackenzie, save for Iggy who was looking at nothing in particular, asking, "Guys? What's going on? Mackenzie? You there?"

Reality struck Mackenzie like a bullet train. She had burned the Erasers, burned them until they were a pile of ashes on the floor. If she wasn't responsible for the deaths at the Labs, she was surely responsible for the deaths of these Erasers. She was a murderer. The Erasers had been men, women, even children, before experimented on. And Mackenzie had killed them.

Max had fallen out of the trance and stepped toward Mackenzie hesitantly, as if unsure of what to do.

"Mackenzie…" she started, but never got to finish as Mackenzie turned toward Max and cut her off.

"They were right, you know," Mackenzie said, "I'm a danger to everyone."

Max reached out, about to touch Mackenzie but Mackenzie immediately backed away.

"No!" she yelled, "Didn't you see what just happened? Don't touch me!"

Max spoke, her voice calm and even. "Mackenzie, what you did, was save us from the Erasers. I don't see the harm in-"

"You don't see the harm?" Mackenzie's voice rose, unshed tears threatening to show. "You don't see the harm?! Max, I _killed_ them! I told you before, I was a killer and you didn't believe me. Well here's your proof!"

"Mackenzie," Max said, her voice as soothing as possible, "We're all killers. But we have to get over it. I've killed someone before too, but I chose to move on. You can't drown in your sorrows forever."

"If it makes you feel better," Iggy's voice popped in, "Fang died and came back to life, but we're all good."

Max glared at Iggy and hissed, "Not helping Igs!"

Mackenzie shook her head. "It's okay Max, he's just trying to help."

She looked back at Max, and immediately thought of Chase.

_They're so alike. Stern, but caring and comforting. But I can't depend on that. Not when I could have killed the Flock._

"Listen," she said, "I'm not as mad at myself about killing the Erasers as I am about almost hurting you guys. I've already done enough damage as it is, and the fact is, I can't stand knowing that this could happen again."

She looked to all of them. They all seemed to fit, as if part of a puzzle. A complete puzzle. One that didn't need another piece. That was her cue to leave.

"Thank you for everything." she said to them. "You guys showed me what it's like not to be alone. But I need to be alone. For my safety and yours." She made her way to the door only to be stopped with a voice. Iggy's voice.

"Mackenzie, wait!" he called, "So you're just going to walk out on me again?"

Mackenzie replied softly, "It's all I've ever known."

"Aren't you at least going to help us clean up the mess?" he joked, though there was a certain sadness to his tone.

Mackenzie turned around and placed part of her money into Iggy's hand.

"This should cover the expenses."

He reached out again, saying, "That's not what I meant, I was saying-"

But Mackenzie was already out the door, running away. Running to where she could be safe. Running to where others would be safe from her.

* * *

**So this chapter didn't go exactly as planned, but I think it came out okay.**

**If you guys may have noticed, I update every other day or so. Due to the fact that I have LARGELY procrastinated on a HUGE school project (Procrastinators! Unite! Maybe tomorrow...), my updates may be a little later on some days but I will try to update along the usual schedule.**

**I also have a question for you. Do you enjoy reading just Mackenzie's POV or would you guys like for me to start including others (i.e. Max, Iggy...). Tell me in a review what you think and review if you have the time! ^_^**

**Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed.**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Mackenzie sat in one of trees at a nearby playground, the ice cream shop scene replaying over and over in her head. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She had let the voices from her nightmares to get a hold of her, almost killing the Flock in the process. And all because she met Iggy. She pulled her knees into her chest and tucked her head in, trying to relax, but all of her muscles were tense and alert, like a ticking bomb about to go off.

A rustle from the bushes below quickly made her look down and seconds later, a figure emerged from the same bushes, twigs sticking out of his strawberry blonde hair. It was Iggy!

Mackenzie almost fell out of the tree in shock. She watched as he walked right under the tree she was sitting in, holding in her breath and hoping he didn't hear her. Iggy stood there for a few minutes before looking up and saying, "I know you're up there Kenzie."

"Speak of the devil," she murmured to herself as she sighed in defeat and jumped to the ground, landing with a soft thud in front of him, arms crossed.

"Don't call me that," she said, "Of all the trees in all the playgrounds at wherever we are, you had to choose this one. What are you doing here Iggy?"

Iggy took a deep breath. "Well I know that you're an experiment like us, and you think that you're a danger to the Flock, but we've met so many other dangerous experiments and-"

"I am a danger to the Flock!" Mackenzie interrupted. "Iggy, you don't know anything about me and I hardly know much about you, so I still don't see why you were so intent on finding me."

"Because you're different from the other experiments we met!" Iggy exclaimed, "You're different from all the girls I've met, heck, you're different from anyone I've ever met."

Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. "Should I take this as an insult or a compliment?"

He ran his hand through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. Mackenzie's expression softened. She knew she could be difficult and that Iggy meant no harm. She decided to cut him some slack.

"So… What makes me 'so different' from the others?" she asked, making quotation marks with her fingers when she said 'so different', despite the fact that Iggy couldn't see it.

Iggy thought for a moment, before replying, "You're not sorry."

"Excuse me?"

He shook his head. "You're not sorry. The day I bumped into you-"

"More like tackled," Mackenzie muttered. Iggy gave her a look and she stopped talking.

"Anyway, before I was _so_ rudely interrupted," she rolled her eyes, "That day, when I told you I was blind, you weren't sorry."

"For what?" Mackenzie asked.

Iggy nodded. "That's my point. Usually when I say I'm blind, the person I'm talking to will start apologizing for no reason. I mean, it's not like they're the reason why I'm blind."

"Yeah," Mackenzie agreed, "Saying sorry won't bring your sight back. There's no point."

"Exactly," Iggy gestured to themselves. "See, this is what I was talking about. We may not know each other but we get each other. We have a connection."

Mackenzie shifted awkwardly. "Iggy, you can't prove anything with that. So we agreed on something. We know each other's first names and we both have an undying love for ice cream. So what?"

"I just-" he let out a deep breath, "I just have this feeling and you know, the Flock and I, we go by instincts usually. I'm sure you do too."

"Of course," she replied, "But still-"

"A week," Iggy blurted, "Give me a week."

"A week for what?" Mackenzie asked.

He bounced up and down in excitement, like a young boy on Christmas morning.

"A week for you to just hang out with me and the Flock. A week for us to get to know each other. I'm pretty sure Max and Angel know more about you than I do already. Give me a week to _prove_ that we have a special connection. That's all I ask for. One week."

The determined, yet pleading look on his face and the energy in his words showed just how much thought he had put into this idea and Mackenzie was struggling with finding an excuse to say no.

"I don't know Iggy…" she said hesitantly. His face immediately dropped and she knew at that moment that she couldn't bear to disappoint him.

"But… I guess I have nothing better to do," she finally said. It was official. She was going soft. His face lit up brighter than the Fourth of July and he pumped his fist into the air.

"Yes!" he shouted and pulled Mackenzie in for a hug. Mackenzie couldn't help but laugh at his childish behavior before remembering their deal.

_One week. Just one week._

* * *

By the time Iggy finally returned to the rendezvous point the Flock had decided on with Mackenzie, all the other members were already there. They had all had the feeling that Iggy would be the one to find her.

Max watched from the sidelines as Iggy explained to the others about their one week deal, his face happier than she had ever seen him. She would scold him for ditching Gazzy in the forest by himself later. Max didn't mind the deal they had made at all. In fact, she was pretty excited to finally have another girl that she could relate to. There was nothing wrong with Nudge and Angel, but Mackenzie was closer to Max's age and she could relate more to Max than anyone, with the exception of Fang.

_Max, Iggy reeeeally likes Mackenzie,_ Angel's voice rang out in her head. Max grinned. Blackmail and a chance to embarrass Iggy in front of a girl he likes? Max was starting to like this one week deal more and more. Too bad it didn't last longer.

"Plotting again?" Fang's soft, husky tone whispered in her left ear, sending shivers down her spine. She turned to look at the boy dressed in all black.

"How'd you know?" she asked. Fang shrugged. "You get an evil look on your face. About Iggy?"

Max nodded. "Angel told me he really likes Mackenzie."

Fang nodded, "She makes him happy. Don't ruin it for him."

Max leaned back into Fang, his muscular body warming up hers in seconds.

"Don't worry," Max said, "I won't."

* * *

**Thank you all for the kind reviews! Please review more if you have the time. ^_^**

**I decided to try out a Max POV in this chapter (You don't say?) so tell me what you think. Like it, hate it, whatever...**

**Like I said, I procrastinated on a big school project but I will update at least once or twice a week.**

**Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed, and have a Happy Thursday!**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_Everything was engulfed in flames, the fire showing no mercy as it burned everything to the ground. The smell of smoke filled her lungs and Mackenzie tried her best not to inhale. Finally, the smoke was too much and she started to cough._

A sudden thump on her back startled her awake and she almost choked on her own spit. She looked up with groggy eyes at whoever brought her out of the nightmare, only to find herself staring into another face.

"Gah!" she yelled, her arms flailing around before she repositioned and rebalanced herself on the tree branch. Gazzy backed up and sent her a sheepish grin before saying, "Sorry, you were coughing and Iggy heard you and wanted to see if you were okay, but he didn't know where you were so he told me to-"

He stopped himself before turning to Mackenzie with wide eyes.

"Oh no! I'm turning into Nudge!" he squeaked, before hopping off the branch and back to where the rest of the Flock was resting. Mackenzie followed him, silently laughing to herself. The nightmares weren't as bad as before, but usually because she woke up quickly, in fear of waking up the Flock in the middle of the night.

As she walked into the small clearing the Flock had rested at, a rich aroma reached her nose and her stomach growled loudly. Everyone turned to look at her and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. It didn't help when Iggy walked up to her wearing a goofy chef hat and apron and slung his arm around her shoulders, saying, "Now that was one heck of an entrance."

Mackenzie laughed lightly and shrugged his arm off her shoulders.

"What's with the chef getup?" she asked. He waved a spatula that she had just noticed him holding around and gestured to some kitchen appliance hovering over a small campfire. She flinched at the sight of fire.

"Prepared to lose your taste buds, because I am going to cook us the best breakfast you could ever imagine."

Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Iggy nodded overdramatically. "Indeed it is!"

"Iggy, I'm hungry. If you don't get back to cooking, I'll make Max cook instead." Nudge said with a threatening tone.

"NOOOOO!" everyone in the Flock yelled, startling Mackenzie so much her arms flew up, just barely missing hitting Iggy in the face.

"What's so bad about Max's cooking?" she asked. Iggy turned to her with a very serious and solemn expression on his face.

"Mackenzie," he began, "Max may be an awesome leader and everything, but you should never, EVER, not even if you were offered a million dollars, ever let the great Maximum Ride cook."

"It can't be that bad," Mackenzie protested.

"She's burned water!" Gazzy exclaimed.

"Is that even possible?"

Max shrugged. "It is with me apparently."

Iggy headed back to his cooking and Mackenzie sat beside Max, who was resting her head on Fang's shoulder.

"So," Mackenzie said, "Have you two lovebirds set a date?"

Max immediately sat back up, her face a deep red, while Fang's cheeks were turning a light pink. The rest of the Flock was howling in laughter as Mackenzie looked around, confused.

"What?" she asked, "Are they not dating?"

Angel shook her head and spoke, her voice light and airy and her own cheeks pink from laughing so hard. "They are dating but that was by far, one of the funniest things I've heard."

Nudge was fanning herself with her hand, a smile practically engraved on her face. "Oh em geee! Mackenzie's right! We totally need to plan you guys a wedding! I saw the perfect dress for you Max! And we need to plan the cake and the flowers and the location and bridesmaids. Angel can be the flower girl and Gazzy can be the ring bearer and I can give Max the makeover I always wanted to and we invite Max's mom and Ella and a bunch of other people and-"

"Nudge!" Mackenzie interrupted, "Calm down! I was just kidding about them getting married. They're like, what, sixteen, seventeen? Way too young for anyone to get married."

Nudge huffed and crossed her arms. "The least they could do is show some commitment and get engaged."

Mackenzie walked over and placed her hand on Nudge's shoulder. "Nudge, marriage is a really big step up from dating in being in a relationship. One day, you'll find your true love and you'll understand how Max and Fang feel. You'll know when you want to spend the rest of your life, but you have to be ready to take that next step. Max and Fang may love each other but at the moment, they're not ready and they're probably waiting for when the time is right."

She paused, and realized how depressing her speech was becoming. She put on a smile and said, "Besides, the day Max lets you give her a makeover is the day I decide not to fly."

"Speaking of flying," Max interjected, the red in her cheeks gone and her leader-of-the-Flock face on, "I could go for a fly. Mackenzie, do you want to come?"

Mackenzie nodded ruffled her feathers. "Heck yeah. It's been days since I've gone for a flight. I'll eat later."

Max stood and they both unfurled their wings. Mackenzie almost gasped. This was the first pair of wings she had seen since… The V. They were extremely long, probably more than 10 feet. They started brown at the top and faded into a darker color toward the middle of her wings. The rest of the feathers were white, several of the white feathers sporting tan spots. Max's wings were beautiful.

Max and the Flock, save for Iggy, who was still cooking were staring at Mackenzie's wings with a similar expression. Mackenzie liked to compare her wings to a sunset. At the top, her feathers were a dark shade of crimson, which faded into a burnt orange in the middle and ended in a deep gold. The edges were streaked with bits of maroon and they were slightly shorter the Max's.

She stepped forward cautiously, as if approaching and injured animal.

"Your wings," Mackenzie breathed, "They're so beautiful."

Max had a look of surprise on her face. "Are you sure you should be calling my wings beautiful, I mean, look at yours. They're so… vibrant."

Mackenzie cringed. "It also makes me a more noticeable target in the sky. That's why I try to limit my flying to rural areas. Yours are so natural, yet graceful and beautiful all at the same time."

Max spread her wings and Mackenzie mirrored her actions.

"Try to keep up," Max teased. Mackenzie laughed and with that, they shot into the sky.

* * *

**Hullo! Back again just within a week. I've noticed that many authors have put their stories on hiatus for more than one reason and rest assured, I have not intention of going with the crowd this time. I will try to keep updating at least once a week, because I have yet to finish that big school project.**

**Thank you for the suggestions and reviews. Seeing your reviews make me smile and if you have the time, please review. ^_^**

**Special thanks to Proudhollow, who reminded me to make sure that Mackenzie 'flies on' in the story (sorry bad pun). Your request will be in part of the next chapter. **

** minibird: My signout, "Less than three", stands for the symbols less than () and three (3), which together form 3 (a heart). Although that is another way to think of it ;)**

**Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoy writing it and have a Happy Thursday! (Though a Friday would be nicer...)**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

As the cool wind blew through Mackenzie's hair, she reveled at being in the air again. It had been far too long since her last flight and she had missed flapping her wings freely in the clear blue sky. The rest of the Flock had come to join the, their breakfast forgotten. She played air tag with Angel, Gazzy, Total, Nudge, and Iggy, who had insisted they play Marco Polo so it would be fair.

The wind rushed past her ears as she was flying away from the other players. She was looking behind her to make sure no one was following and didn't notice the person in front of her until she crashed into them.

"Oof!" Her wings fluttered and she stopped flapping her wings momentarily, dropping a few feet. She looked up to see Iggy rubbing his head and muttering something under his breath. She flew back up to where he was and brushed the hair out of his face.

"Iggy, are you okay? I'm sorry, I was looking the other way," she said as she checked his head for injuries. Iggy slowly pulled her hands away from his head, but not letting go.  
"I'm fine," he replied, before leaning in extremely close to Mackenzie's face. She was relieved at the moment that he was blind so he wouldn't see the light blush that had spread across her face as he continued leaning in, stopping when they were nose to nose and she could see the crystal blue in his cloudy eyes,

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly. Iggy leaned in even closer, if possible and said, "You're….."

"IT!" he tapped her on the shoulder, turned around and flew away so fast that he left several feathers floating in the air where he once was. Mackenzie couldn't help but feel a small twinge of disappointment before pushing it away and flying after him yelling, "Get back here!"

* * *

By the time they had decided to head back to the ground, the food Iggy made was already cold, but it was still one of the best meals Mackenzie had ever eaten. She moaned in appreciation as she took another bite. Max chuckled and said, "Iggy, I think you just ruined any chance of Mackenzie eating anything else ever again."

"It'll never be as good as Iggy's." Mackenzie confirmed.

Iggy had a grin on his face that would make the Cheshire Cat envious. "Was it that good?"

"Better than food from heaven itself." she reassured him.

"That's Iggy's cooking for you." Angel said.

"Does he cook often?" Mackenzie asked.

"When we're not on the run and we have the time."

"Max," Mackenzie suddenly remembered something. "Nudge said something about your mom. You know who your parents are?"

"Yeah," Max nodded, "The first thing we did on the run way find out about our parents. I found out my mom was somebody that I already knew. She's really cool. I have a sister named Ella too."

"What about your dad?"

Max's expression changed to one of anger and disappointment.

"He turned out to be a traitorous white coat. A scientist, name Jeb Batchelder. Ever heard of him?"

Mackenzie froze. Jeb Batchelder? A suspicious memory came creeping to mind. Several days before the fire…

_Flashback_

_Mackenzie woke up drowsy and unaware of her surroundings. The lab coats had drugged her again. She hated the experiments. The sting of the ice cold needle piercing your skin, the horrible feeling of the chemicals injected in your body running through you veins. It sickened her. Which was why she always resisted. As long as there was a living breath in her body, she was determined to fight back. That's was why they always knocked her out. Whether it was forcing her to swallow a drug to render her unconscious, or having an Eraser beat her unconscious, the lab coats had always found a way. At least she managed to send several lab coats to the hospital before she was knocked out. _

_The rest of the V wasn't in their cages so she assumed they were still being experimented on. She nonchalantly made her way over to the bars of her cages, strumming her fingers over them, when in reality, she was slowly loosening them from the floor of the cage. She and the V knew that the lab coats had installed security cameras so they could watch what they did, but they also found out that the cameras only filmed their actions, and not the sound. This made it easier to prepare a plan. A plan to escape the Lab._

_The slow creak of a door made her look up from playing with the bars of the cage and step back into the middle of the cage. Two men walked through the door and toward her cage. Mackenzie recognized one of the men as a lab coat that usually overlooked her experimenting. At the sight of him, she tightly clenched her fists. The other man however was a mystery. With brown hair, blue eyes, and a seemingly warm and kind expression, the stranger looked to be a caring father. But Mackenzie knew better than that. The moment he had walked into the room, she had smelled the odor of chemicals and other foreign substances on him. There was even a hint of something else. What was the thing Nina had told her about? Cookies. Yes, the other smell was definitely cookies. _

_He didn't appear very dangerous or harmful, but she knew behind those dorky glasses was a manipulative and calculating scientist. One capable of killing her. She kept her expression cool and stony as they arrived in front of her, both examining her to the point that she wanted to just cover herself up. The lab coat finally spoke._

"_This is experiment ERIF-003. She was the first experiment to come out 100% successful and has been with us for many years." He said as he gestured to Mackenzie._

_She scoffed and crossed her arms. "Experiment ER-whatever has a name you know."_

_The stranger, she was going to call him 'Cookie Man' for now, raised arched an eyebrow, making him look like a scientist more than ever. _

"_And what," he asked, "would your name be?"_

_She rolled her eyes. "Like I would tell you."_

_The lab coat quickly ended the dispute by glaring at Mackenzie before turning to Cookie Man and saying, "I do apologize Mr. Batchelder. This experiment has a, uh, small rebellious streak."_

_Cookie Man nodded. "I assure you, it's okay. We have an experiment back at our place that is almost exactly the same way. All you need is a little trust and respect."_

_Mackenzie held in the snort that had threatened to come out. Yeah right. She would trust him the day kids could fly- Oh wait. Never mind._

"_If it's alright with you," Cookie Man continued, "I'd like to have a private chat with this young lady."_

_She almost did a double take. Did he just call her a lady? 'All in his plan', she reminded herself, 'All in his plan'._

_The lab coat nodded and left the room, leaving just the two of them._

"_Look," Mackenzie said, "Let's get somethings straight, huh? I am, and will never be a 'lady'. And if you think your stupid 'trust and respect' plan is going to win me over, then you have another thing coming."_

_Cookie Man smiled and replied, "Of course. I just wanted to let you know that you are very special."_

"_Why thank you. I think you're special too. Special needs that is. Don't bother wasting your time with me."_

_Cookie Man nodded and handed her a small card. On it, were the words: __**Jeb Batchelder. Let the fire grow within you. You were meant to burn bright. And tell Maximum Ride I send my love.**_

_Mackenzie looked up, confused and perplexed at what his words meant, only to find the room empty again. She tucked the card inside her shoe. She would tell the V about the strange man later. Right now, she had cage bar loosening to do._

_Only she never got a chance to tell the V about the strange man, who smelled of foreign chemicals and cookies. Because several days later, the Lab burned down, destroying everything and everyone in it. Except for her._

_**You were meant to burn bright…**_

* * *

**I decided to post this one earlier than planned so the next chapter may be slightly delayed.**

**I had fun writing the flying scene for Proudhollow. I hope I did it justice.**

**If you have scene suggestions, please tell me in a review or just review in general because you love me. ^_^ (Not in that way...)**

**Thank you for your kind reviews and please review if you have the time.**

**Ugh... I just took the ACT so I feel like crap. Happy Chinese New Year and hope you had a better Saturdy than me！**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Mackenzie staggered backwards and fell to the ground, the paper inside her shoe practically burning a hole on her skin. He knew. Max's dad knew about the fire _before_ it had happened. What did this mean?

Fang, being the closest to her, reached out a hand just as she scrambled back to her feet.

"You okay?" he asked quietly. She nodded and brushed the dirt of her pants. She cleared her throat and looked at Max.

"I…" she faltered before continuing, "I have a message. From your father."

* * *

Fang had her in an unbreakable headlock within seconds.

"You work for the school," he growled, "Don't you?"

She shook her head no. Well, as much as one could shake their head in a headlock.

"Fang, let her go so she can speak," Max said, "I want to know what she meant."

Fang let go and Mackenzie stood back up stretching her neck.

"Sorry," he murmured. She pat him on the back.

"It's fine. I know how protective guys can get over their girlfriends," she replied with a chuckle. Both Max and Fang were wearing barely visible blushes. She reached down into her shoe and pulled out the card that had sat in her shoe for the past three years and handed it to Max, who had paled considerably, but kept a stoic expression.

"Here. I had never really paid much attention to it until now. He confused me, trying to gain my trust, telling me I was special."

"What did you tell him?" Gazzy asked. Mackenzie smiled.

"I told him that he was special too. Special needs that is, and told him I wasn't going to crack."

Iggy gave a hearty laugh and ruffled her hair, which surprised her because she hadn't even known that he knew where she was standing, and said, "That's my girl."

She tried her best to hold in the heat rising to her cheeks as she looked back to Max and Angel, who were still examining the card.

"He somehow knew that we were going to meet up one day," Max muttered, "But how?"

"How is that possible? The chances of this happening…." Angel trailed off.

Mackenzie began to back away from the Flock, her flight-or-fight sense telling her to leave, her panic only contributing to the feeling. She turned, only to bump into Iggy who immediately grabbed her arms firmly, as if sensing what she wanted to do. Crap! She had forgotten that he was behind her. She started to struggle against him, only making Iggy tighten his grip.

"Mackenzie," he said, his voice soft, making Mackenzie freeze. His voice was so soothing at the moment, so kind like Nina's, almost as if he was petting a small kitten. But she wasn't a kitten. She was supposed to be a lioness.

"Yes?" she asked, doing her best to keep the tremble out of her voice.

Iggy furrowed his brows. "You promised me a week."

Mackenzie sighed and took a deep breath, taking the time to close her eyes. "Iggy… I don't know if I can do this. I'm already used to being all by myself and all I've done is cause the Flock trouble and-"

"We're always in trouble! You can't blame yourself for something that happens naturally."

"Like that fire," Angel spoke up. "You can't blame yourself for that Mackenzie. It was never your fault."

Iggy looked toward Angel. "Fire? What fire? What are you talking about Angel?"

Angel looked at Mackenzie. _Should I tell them?_

Mackenzie almost jumped at the foreign thought entering her mind. She looked around. Max and Angel looked at her with questioning eyes, while the rest of the Flock looked clueless and confused. She sighed. _Tell them._

* * *

By the time Angel finished explaining her past to the rest of the Flock, Mackenzie had her head buried in Iggy's shoulder, while Iggy gently stroked her hair, murmuring comforting words to her every now and then. The rest of the Flock slowly stood up and walked away, leaving the two alone.

"Iggy?" Mackenzie asked quietly. He stayed silent, continuing to stroke her hair. She decided to continue. "Why don't you hate me?"

Iggy's hand suddenly stopped. She pulled back and looked at his face. A small grin was pulling at his lips as he replied, "Why on earth would I hate you?"

Mackenzie blinked in surprise. She then proceeded to poke Iggy in the ear, causing him to cover the poked ear with his hand as he gave out a small "Ow!".

"What was that for?" he whined, rubbing his 'injured' ear. She rolled her eyes. Oh please, she didn't poke the drama queen that hard.

"Just making sure you're not deaf too. Did you not hear anything Angel just said?"

She made a move to poke his other ear, but he predicted her plan and immediately cupped the survivor, backing several feet away from her.

"No!" he cried, "You've already hurt Fred! Spare George the pain!"

"You named your ears?" she asked, amusement clearly in her voice. Iggy nodded. "Yeah. You know, Fred and George! I heard a book about them. One of them lost an ear, so I decided to name my ear after him and his brother."

Mackenzie shook her head. "I'll never understand guys."

She went silent for a moment. "But really, why don't you hate me?"

Iggy stepped back toward her, and reached his hands out to cup her cheeks. The palms of his hands were warm. Not too dry, but not too moist. Hopefully, they couldn't feel how her cheeks flushed a bright red.

"You're cheeks are turning red," Iggy teased. Mackenzie looked up, shocked. Was he a mind reader, like Angel? Had he been lying the whole time? Was this just some trap by the Lab? Was Iggy truly even blind? She took a step away from him and his warm hands.

"H-how did you know my cheeks were red?" she stuttered. Iggy looked confused for a moment, before his face lit up.

"Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you. I can feel colors. It's one of my powers. But sometimes it takes a while to figure out the color. Like you hair."

Mackenzie self-consciously reached up to feel her hair, before putting her hand down. Since when did she care about how her hair looked? As long it stayed out of her way when she was on the run, she was fine with how her hair was.

"What about my hair?" she asked. Iggy gestured to nothing in particular.

"You know," he said, "It's this really complicated color. There's this soft chocolate brown, but there's also these crimson streaks that run throughout your hair. And at the tips, the colors fade off into this dark chestnut color-"

"Iggy," she interrupted, "It's just hair. You don't have to describe it like a work of art. I've seen my own hair."

They stood there for a few seconds, the comfortable silence surrounding them until Mackenzie broke it, saying, "Stop avoiding my first question. Why don't you hate me?"

Iggy stepped forward and pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"Because it wasn't your fault," he said softy, "No matter what you think, it wasn't your fault and-"

He leaned down, until their foreheads were touching and just like in their game of air tag, they were nose to nose.

"-I could never hate you." he finished. He leaned in even closer and just when their lips were about to touch, a voice said, "Really Iggy? And you complain about Fang and I having PDA problems? You're such a hypocrite."

Mackenzie and Iggy jumped apart faster than lightning. Max stood a few feet away from them, smirking at their red faces.

"Max," Iggy groaned, "You suck."

* * *

**Bwahahaha! Sorry couldn't help myself to leave it at that cliffhanger.**

**As most if you know, yesterday was Singles Awareness Day, and a bunch of cheesy romance fanfics went up, but I decided to post on a more important day. The day where all the candy goes on sale! Haha, anyway hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for not posting as much as before but the big project will be over in a week (Yes!).**

**Well, I hope you have a good three day weekend. Mine will be full of last minute preparations on the project.**

**Thank you for reading and please review if you have the time! ^_^**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

She and the Flock took to the skies again and Mackenzie spent the entire flight avoiding Iggy like the plague, making sure to put enough distance between them at all times, flying around Max or talking with Nudge (Did not being able to get a word in between Nudge's rants count as talking to her?) or playing a game of 'I Spy' with Angel. Max seemed to notice her actions, seeing her fidget and glance at Iggy every once in a while or relocate whenever he seemed to fly too close to her, but didn't comment, except for teasing Mackenzie by asking, "Are you sure you don't need a restraining order from him?", to which Mackenzie innocently replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Max rolled her eyes and said, "Suuuure… Suuuure…"

They dropped the subject and Max explained to Mackenzie the magic of chocolate chip cookies.

"They taste best fresh out of an oven," Max said, "That way, the chocolate chips are still gooey and cookie's warm. The edges are usually a little crunchy but when you hit the middle, the insides are more soft and chewy and you're hit with the flavor of sweet chocolate, along with a little saltiness from the dough. And they taste delicious if you eat them with a glass of milk."

"Max, stop," Total groaned, "You're making me hungry."

The two girls ignored the flying dog and continued their conversation.

"I'll have to try it," Mackenzie said, "The way you describe it sounds amazing, but I still don't think it'll compare to ice cream in my book. The burst of cold flavor you immediately get when you take a bite, and the way it slowly melts in your mouth, ice cream is definitely my go-to dessert."

_And Iggy introduced it to you so it's even more special,' _Angel's voice rang clear through Mackenzie's thoughts.

_Keep your thoughts to yourself, Angel, _she thought back, making Angel giggle.

_You didn't deny it._

Mackenzie discreetly scowled in the eight year old's direction, before tuning back into Max's lecture on how chocolate chip cookies could kick ice cream's behind any day of the week.

* * *

It wasn't long before they arrived at the next city, landing in the center of a large park. It was already night time and streetlights lit the cobblestone pathways around the area. Gazzy and Angel were already yawning and Max gestured to a nearby groove of tall oak trees.

"Looks like we're sleeping in the trees tonight guys." she said.

"Max, when can we sleep in a hotel? I mean, we've only did it like once or twice, but it was sooo fun and there were bouncy beds to jump on and free lotion so I could _finally_ moisturize, and Angel and I had a pillow fight when you were showering. When's the last time all of us took a shower anyway? Anyway, the food was pretty good and I ate so much I felt like I could throw up. Do any of you ever get the feeling? Well we don't usually get the feeling because we're always hungry, but that time, I was soo full I could even get off the bed and-"

"Let's just sleep here for the night, okay Nudge?" Max interrupted, "I'll think about the hotel idea tomorrow."

She nodded and flew into the same tree as Angel and Gazzy, who were already sleeping on a large branch. Mackenzie let out a deep breath.

"That was the longest one-sided conversation I have ever heard," she exhaled.

Max let out a chuckle. "You'll get used to it eventually."

Iggy and Fang were already gone and Max was making her way to a tree near the others. Mackenzie decided to for a stroll and walked along the cobblestone path. As she was walking, taking the time to admire the flora around her and stargaze, she heard soft footsteps behind her. She spun around, only to come face to face with Iggy.

"We need to talk."

* * *

"So," Iggy started, "Is there any particular reason why you've been avoiding me?"

Mackenzie suddenly found her shoes and the ground extremely interesting.

"It was the almost-kiss, wasn't it?" he asked.

She looked up. "Huh?"

Iggy began fiddling with a wire, probably one that he used to make bombs with.

"You know," he said, "An almost-kiss. Where two people lean in and they're about to kiss, but something interrupts them and the event becomes an almost-kiss."

She raised an eyebrow. "Did you get that from Nudge?"

He nodded. "Don't change the subject," he warned.

Mackenzie sighed. "I can't get too close you know," she told him. He looked at her with a confused expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" he asked. She let out a breath of frustration.

"You know what I mean. This-" she gestured to them, "cannot happen."

"Well, why on earth not?" he demanded, crossing his arms in a very childish way. She rolled her eyes, even if he couldn't see her.

"Because this is temporary. Because if I get too close to you, or anyone in the Flock, I won't be able to leave, and it's bad enough that I already sort of kind of like you and-"

She covered her hands over her mouth and looked down at the ground, cheeks red. Did she really just admit that she liked Iggy? _In front of him?_

She coughed awkwardly and took a sidestep away from Iggy before looking up at him. He was still standing in the spot where they had stopped, probably still in shock. She waved her hand in front of his face.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

Iggy suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, taking her by surprise as she gave a small yelp before crashing into Iggy's chest.

"Did you just admit that you like me?" he asked. Mackenzie could feel her face heat up again and decided to stay silent. She finally said, "Don't expect to hear it from me again."

He grinned before giving her a noogie.

"Iggy-Hey! Ow! Stop it!"

"Say it!" he sang, continuing to rub his fist into her head, "Say it again!"

"Ow! Fine! I like you, okay?"

He stopped and let go of Mackenzie who was clutching her head, then sighed.

"Dang it. I should have recorded it this time."

She punched him in the arm. Hard.

"OW!"

* * *

**I was a bit late on uploading wasn't I? Sorry, but I finally got the big project done! Hallelujah and all that jazz. Now I have a piano festival coming up... Great.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading it. Tell me what kind of scenes you want next . Do you guys want an Eraser scene soon? A jealousy scene? Maybe a fight? Please tell me in a review or if you want me to continue to go with the flow like I have been for the last few chapters.**

**Please review if you have the time and Happy Sunday! ^_^**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Aren't you on first watch?" Mackenzie asked as they made their way back to where the rest of the Flock was. Iggy put his hands behind his head and leaned back, as if relaxing and replied, "Nah, I'm next. Fang saw you on when you left and woke me up."

Mackenzie let out a yawn and flew into a nearby tree where she could see the rest of the Flock sleeping, Iggy close behind her. As they made themselves comfortable on a thick branch, she made eye contact with Fang who was sitting next to a sleeping Max. They nodded at each other (she had learned to speak with actions from her experience with Suki), before Fang smirked and gestured to the way she and Iggy were sitting together. Mackenzie, deciding to be the more mature of the two, promptly stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to Iggy, who asked, "Is Fang over there teasing us?"

"How'd you know?"

He shrugged, "You tensed up all of a sudden. You and Max both really need to learn how to relax every once in a while."

"I do not," she grumbled childishly, before resting her head on Iggy's shoulder. If he was surprised at her action, he didn't show it.

"So now you want to get close to me," he joked. She made a small mewling sound before murmuring sleepily, "I can't stay forever, might as well make it last."

He gave a small peck on the forehead before ruffling her hair, which had already been mussed up from when he had given her a noogie and said, "Don't say that. We'll discuss it some other time."

By then Mackenzie had already drifted off into a dreamless sleep. Too bad it didn't last.

* * *

_The nightmares were becoming more intense than ever. She was standing on a tall skyscraper, the smell of smoke and ashes and- Was that the smell of burning corpses in the air also? She felt sick to her stomach as she heard the terrified screams of victims to the blazing fire sound throughout the entire bright sky. The whole scene was wavering back and forth, like a mirage due to the high temperatures and intense heat. Everything was engulfed in orange and yellow flames. A flash of something so bright it blinded her for a moment suddenly appeared and she closed her eyes. By the time she reopened her eyes, a figure in all black stood in front of her, and it wasn't Fang. The figure's face was shrouded and covered by a large cloak, but the person was clearly male. As he opened his mouth to speak, his voice came out as a raspy hiss._

"_You've finally arrived, my dear. It's about time we meet."_

_ He stepped towards her and she instinctively tried to back up, only to once again find herself immobilized._

_ 'Wake up, wake up, WAKE UP!' she screamed to herself._

_ The figure in black was standing right in front of her now. He brought his hand up to stroke her cheek and she flinched._

_ "You look just like you mother," the man croaked. She stared at him in shock. Her mother? She didn't even know who her mother was. Who was this guy? She glared at him, only to have the man laugh at her._

_ "Trying to be brave, eh? You can't run, my little flame. You can't run from fate."_

_ "But I'll die trying," she snapped. He only shook his head and chuckled._

_ "And yet here you are. You can't stop these dreams. __**Your**__ dreams of the world burning. Admit it. You want it. You need it. Even now, your powers grow stronger within you, the fire rushing through your veins."_

_ She fiercely shook her head. "No!" she yelled. "I don't want any of it! I want it to stop! Just stop!"_

_ The dark figure seemed to fade into the background, as if dissolving right in front of her eyes, leaving behind only the sound of his cold, evil laughter. Her body felt like it was being shaken, another voice calling her name, its tone desperate and pleading._

"Mackenzie!"

Her eyes finally snapped open, looking into Iggy's cloudy blue eyes. He was holding her, one arm wrapped around her back and the other holding onto her shoulder. He was the one who had been shaking her, Mackenzie realized. They were on the ground with the Flock surrounding the two of them with worried expressions. Angel seemed to be the first to notice she had woken up and said, "She's awake!"

Iggy's hold on her seemed to tighten as he looked down at her.

"Mackenzie?"

Mackenzie was surprised at the amount of worry in his tone. What had happened during her nightmare that had made him this concerned about her?

"I'm here," she replied softly.

"Dude!" Gazzy crowed, "I bet if she didn't wake up in the next few minutes, Iggy would've ended up making a move and giving her mouth to mouth or something."

"Ohmigosh!" Nudge exclaimed, "That would've been so adorable if that happened!"

Max whacked Gazzy upside the down, emitting an 'Ow!' from the gaseous eleven year old.

"Don't be ridiculous," Max said, "She'd have to have been drowning for that."

Mackenzie rolled her eyes at the useless banter, before turning a light shade of pink after realizing that Iggy was still holding her. Very, very closely. She cleared her throat nervously.

"Uh, Iggy? You, uh, might want to let go of me now?"

Iggy turned pink as well, before slowly helping her back up to her feet, his hands lingering on the small of her back the entire time and making her entire back tingle with warmth, not that she had noticed or anything.

_Sure you didn't_, Angel's voice popped in, _And we're all normal humans._

_Angel, you couldn't have chosen a worst time to butt into my thoughts._

_ I try Mackenzie. I try._

* * *

**Happy Saturday! Thanks for all the awesome reviews! I'll definitely try out some of your suggestions. Anyone want to guess who the figure in black is?**

**Hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter. Please review if you have the time. ^_^**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"What happened back there? Why were you shaking me awake?" Mackenzie asked as she and Iggy made their way into town. Max had handed them the Max card and told them that they were in charge of getting breakfast. Iggy had immediately suggested they go look for an IHOP, or a Denny's, whatever those were.

Iggy stuck his hands in his pockets as he walked, before saying, "Fang woke me up a little after we fell asleep. After my shift, I woke up Max and went back to sleep. I'm not sure how long I slept, but your screams woke me up."

Mackenzie fidgeted beside him. "Sorry. I get these… Nightmares sometimes. I hope I didn't deprive anyone of their sleep."

He grinned at her. "Let me guess. Your nightmare was about how I went missing and you missed me so much you started screaming, because you realized that you couldn't live without me."

She crossed her arms and smirked. "Nope. I dreamt that I saw you naked and screamed from the horror."

Iggy feigned an injured looked and clutched his heart overdramatically. "Ouch. That hurt." His expression suddenly turned serious, which Mackenzie was a little disappointed about. He was usually so cheery and playful that she had come to love his smile and laugh.

"Mackenzie," he said, "Be honest. How bad are these nightmares you've been having?"

"Oh look!" she exclaimed pointing to the street in front of them, "We're here!"

"Mackenzie," he warned. She ignored the tone in his voice that said, 'I know what you're doing, don't change the subject' and pulled him by the arm to the closest restaurant.

* * *

After watching Iggy continuously push at a door labeled 'Pull' for five minutes, she finally let out a sigh and pulled the door open to let them in. The bell made a small 'ding' noise as they walked in, signaling their entrance. The restaurant wasn't too crowded, but there were several people before them taking orders. As they stood in line waiting, Mackenzie's fingers started twitching. Her fingers had developed an automatic response to crowds: to pick their pockets. Her hand began to tremble and she knew she had to do something. Without thinking, she instinctively grabbed onto the closest thing to her: Iggy's hand. She looked down at their intertwined fingers in shock, before blushing and pulling her hand away from his. As she was trying to pull away, Iggy surprised her by tightening his grip on her hand, keeping it firmly in place. Mackenzie opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off when the people in front of her finished taking their order and it became their turn. She turned back to the front, where she found herself being stared at by the cashier boy. He was average height, with a slight muscular build and golden brown hair. He looked her head to toe, making her extremely uncomfortable, before smiling and revealing two rows of pearly white teeth, and saying, "What can I get a lovely lady like you today?"

She felt Iggy's grip on her hand tighten on hers even more as he said, "We'd like 20 breakfast combos, 10 omelets, 7 pancake boxes, 12 bottles of orange juice, and 11 swirlies."

The cashier didn't acknowledge him, but keyed in the order and turned back to Mackenzie with a blinding smile.

"Can I get you anything else?" he asked before gesturing to himself, "Maybe a hot guy to take you out on a date tonight?"

She almost jumped when Iggy's arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"_We're_ fine, thank you," he replied through clenched teeth.

The cashier boy finally looked toward Iggy, his irritation clearly showing on his face. "Who are you? Her brother?"

Iggy's glare was murderous. "No. Would you hurry up with our order? We have a family to feed."

The guy's jaw dropped and Mackenzie felt her face heat up. Why did he say it like that? Now it sounded like they were a couple! With children! The cashier turned and mumbled something under his breath. Within seconds, Iggy had reached over, grabbed the guy by the collar and was shaking him, growling, "You better take that back and apologize to her right now before I ruin your face and make it uglier than it already is."

The people behind them began to back away in fear and Mackenzie quickly grabbed Iggy's shoulder.

"Iggy, don't," she whispered, "he's not worth it. People are watching."

"He may not be worth it, but you are, and he-"

"It doesn't matter what he said, okay? Let's just get our food and get back to the Flock as soon as possible."

Iggy grit his teeth before sighing and let the cashier go. She took his hand again to calm him down and lead him to a nearby booth. As they were walking, she turned back to glance at the cashier one more time, only to see him wink at her and mouth, "Call me." while making the 'call me' sign. She wasn't sure how Iggy knew, but right after the cashier mouthed those words, he turned around, enraged, and roared, "Why you!" and promptly tackled him over the counter.

"IGGY!"

* * *

"I can't believe you got us kicked out of that restaurant," Mackenzie grumbled as they made their way back to the park where the Flock was waiting.

"I can't believe I got away with it!" Iggy cheered.

"Only because you pulled the 'I'm a blind guy' excuse. They would've pressed charges on you! Just be glad we got our food. Max would've killed us if we came back empty-handed."

Iggy scoffed and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I don't understand why they would press charges. I only roughed him up a bit."

"You sent him to the hospital! How is- Oh never mind, why do I even bother with you?" She walked ahead, some of the bags from the restaurant bumping against her legs as she sped up, with Iggy chasing after her.

"Mackenzie! Hey- Mackenzie wait!"

He caught up to her and grabbed ahold of her arm. "Listen," he said, "I did it for a good reason."

She stopped in her tracks before letting out a deep breath. "I know, but what he said wasn't that big of a deal and-"

"It was for me," he interrupted, "It was for me."

They walked in silence up until they arrived at the park, when Iggy suddenly froze.

"Something's not right," he breathed. Mackenzie stopped and immediately knew what he was saying. The hairs on the back of her neck had risen and her wings ruffled nervously underneath her shirt. There was a rustle from the bushes and in the blink of an eye, an Eraser emerged from the leaves.

"Erasers," she hissed to Iggy. He nodded and they turned around to escape, only to come face to face with another Eraser.

"There's nowhere to run little birdies," he snarled. She and Iggy both immediately dropped the bags of food, getting into a defensive fighting stance, until she realized: they were surrounded. And outnumbered. By a lot. Well crap.

* * *

**Happy Wednesday! We got a snow day today and I decided to post this chapter a little earlier than planned.**

**If you guys didn't understand part of the restaurant scene, I'll explain. Iggy got mad at the cashier for calling Mackenzie some not-so-nice names (that are synonyms for the word prostitute) after Iggy said they had a 'family' to feed. It's my first time writing a jealousy scene so I hope I did okay.**

**Tell me what you thought about this chapter or give me some more suggestions. Please review if you have the time and thanks for reading! ^_^**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

One of the Erasers stepped forward. He was taller and bulkier than most of the others. Probably the leader.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Looks like we can kill two birds with one stone today," he cackled.

Mackenzie crossed her arms. "Too bad they don't teach you how to have a real sense of humor from whatever test tube you came from. Don't expect us to give up so easily."

The leader sent a wicked grin her way. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. We already have the rest of your feathered friends on their way to the School. If you ever want to see them again, you're going to have to cooperate."

She cursed under her breath. The Flock! If she hadn't agreed to Iggy's stupid deal, this wouldn't have happened. What were they going to do now? Especially since she didn't have a single cooperating bone in her body.

"Mackenzie," Iggy whispered to her quietly, "Plan B. When I say the code word, I want to you get in the air as fast as possible, okay?"

"What code word?" she asked, discreetly loosening her wings and preparing them for a quick escape.

"Already discussing on how to get caught?" the Eraser interrupted. Great. Now she would never know what the code word Iggy was talking about was. She scoffed at the Eraser. "In your dreams, ugly. We were just deciding the best way to kick all your hairy heinies."

The Eraser took a menacing step towards her.

"Don't get too cocky, girl," he growled, "Or I make sure you know why the caged bird sings."

"What's with you and all these stupid bird puns?!" she exclaimed. "I swear-"

"Stop your stalling!" he said harshly, before looking to the other Erasers, "What are you waiting for? Capture them!"

The Eraser began closing them into a small circle and Mackenzie slid behind Iggy. "Iggy, now would be a _great_ time to begin your little Plan B. Especially since they're surrounding us!"

"Got it!" he yelled, before throwing something to the ground in front of them, "Hurry Mackenzie! To infinity and beyond!"

He shot up into the sky, leaving Mackenzie on the ground before she realized that was the code word (or phrase?) and took off into to the air as well. Underneath her, she heard a small 'BOOM' and turned around to find the area they had just been standing, as well as where the Eraser were standing, covered in a cloud of green smoke.

"Aw man! What's that smell?"

"Jesus Christ! It should be illegal for anything to smell this bad!"

"Which one of you imbeciles had Mexican before we came?"

"YOU FOOLS!" a voice roared amidst the smoke, "Find the two experiments!"

Iggy's laugh sounded from behind her. She turned around to look at him, a smile playing at her lips. "One of your and Gazzy's creations?"

"Oh yeah. Gazzy provided the gas."

She rolled her eyes in humor. "Likewise. Oh, and one more thing."

"What?"

"Worst. Codeword. Ever."

"I panicked, okay?"

"There they are!" an Eraser shouted.

"Shoot," Iggy muttered, "Let's go. Gazzy told me they have wings."

Mackenzie looked down. The remaining Erasers that had survived the bomb and weren't passed out on the ground made no move to jump into the air and chase after them. Were they going to let her and Iggy go? Then she saw it. A gun. Aimed right at Iggy. And he was completely unaware.

The next few things that happened seemed like a blur to Mackenzie. She saw the leader fire the gun at Iggy, who was still talking about Gazzy's farting habits. As if on instinct, she flew up to him and pushed him out of the way, just as she felt a prick in her leg. She looked down and saw a small dart sticking out of her ankle. Just as she was about to pull it out, she felt her whole body go numb and she was aware that her wings had stopped flapping. She began to fall, and gasped, "Iggy!"

"Mackenzie!" A strong pair of arms wrapped around her and she found herself looking into Iggy's face. "Mackenzie, what happened?"

"They-gun-aimed-at-you-couldn't-move-fast-enough-" Her lips felt heavy and she found it harder to speak. They were losing altitude, Iggy's wings unable to support both of their weights. "Leggo (Let go)."

Iggy's expression hardened. "What? No way!"

She could feel herself getting sleepy and her next words were slurred. "Iiiiidiot. Goooo save the otheeeers. IIII'll be fiiine."

He shook his head fiercely. "Nuh uh. If you're going down, I'm going with you."

Her eyes began to close and she knew they were close to hitting the ground as she whispered one last time, "Moron", before drifting off into unconsciousness.

* * *

Finding herself in somewhere that closely resembled a hotel room was not how Max enjoyed waking up. Especially when she was all alone. She rubbed her head, slowly trying to recall recent events. Mackenzie and Iggy had left to go get breakfast and the Flock had been placing bets on when the two would get together, when Erasers had shown up. With guns. At least they were coming up with some new ideas. The rest was a blur to her and here she was, in some room with no windows and padded walls, like a mental asylum.

_Angel?_ she called out in her head, _You there?_

_ Max!_ a relieved Angel replied, _You're awake!_

_Is the rest of the Flock alright?_

_Yeah. Fang was so worried about you. He's been checking in with me every five minutes, asking if you were awake or not._

Max smiled to herself. Ever since they had begun dating, Fang had become extremely protective of her. It gave her a warm feeling in her chest, knowing someone was always caring about her.

_Where are you Max? Fang's with Nudge and I'm here with Gazzy and Total._

_ I…. I don't know Angel. Is there any update on Iggy and Mackenzie?_

_ No. Do you think they escaped the Erasers?_

_ I hope so sweetie. I hope so._

* * *

Happy Wednesday! I was planning to upload on Pi Day (3/14, like 3.14 get it?), but you know, I'm bipolar...

Where have all my awesome reviews gone? Even if they're to tell me this story sucks, I'd still like feedback.

Please review! ^_^

Less than three,

PalmerPie


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Mackenzie woke up on a bed. An _actual_ bed. Something wasn't right.

"About time you woke up," an unexpected voice said, startling her and almost making her fall out of the bed. She sat up and saw Max sitting on a second bed, smirking at her. "Max?"

"The one and only," Max got off her bed and sat on the bed Mackenzie was sitting on. "So how'd you get caught?"

"We were flying. Got shot by a dart that knocked me out," Mackenzie replied casually, looking around the rest of the room, which included a bathroom and a kitchen (not that they were actually going to need a kitchen…), "Where's the rest of the Flock?"

"In other rooms. Nudge is with Fang, Angel's with Gazzy and Total."

"And Iggy?" Mackenzie asked, her voice full of concern. Max smirked deepened and she jumped off the bed, pointing a finger at Mackenzie. "Aha! I knew you would ask about him!"

Mackenzie felt her face heat up. "So? The idiot wouldn't let go of me after I was hit with the dart."

Max waved her hand around in the air. "He's with Nudge and Fang. Did something happen between the two of you when you went shopping?"

"No," Mackenzie said, "Although he did beat up the cashier."

"Ha! I knew he would wimp out. Nudge owes me a back massage."

It took a few seconds for Max's words to sink in. "You guys _bet_ on us while we were gone?"

"Mmmm. What'd you say about Iggy beating up a cashier?"

"Don't change the subject!" Mackenzie exclaimed, "Why'd you guys bet on Iggy and I?"

Max sat back down beside Mackenzie. "Oh come on. It's obvious that you guys like each other."

"It's one-sided," Mackenzie argued, "he hasn't said anything back."

"You told him first? Wow, that's a shock."

"It was an accident."

"Well even if he hasn't said anything yet, it's obvious he likes you."

"Says who?"

"Says everyone in the Flock. And we've known him for years."

Mackenzie groaned and covered her face with her hands. "That doesn't help at all. I can't get attached. You of all people should know what I mean."

"It could be worse. He could still be dating Ella."

"Your sister?! He's dating your sister?!"

"_Dated_," Max corrected, "It's not that big of a deal."

"How long ago?"

"A few years."

"Who broke it off?"

"Iggy. He said he didn't want to put her in danger and in an impossible relationship."

"So they still have feelings for each other. Perfect."

"Nope. Last time I checked. Ella was dating some new foreign exchange student at her school."

"That doesn't mean Iggy's over Ella." Mackenzie pointed out.

"Yeah, but based on how he's acted around you, I would say he's _definitely_ over Ella. Besides, didn't I walk in on you guys about to kiss last night or something?"

"You just caught us at a bad time, that's all." Mackenzie protested.

"Uh huh. Sure. Which was totally why you avoided him for the rest of the day."

"Shut up."

"I still wanna know," Max continued, "Why'd he beat up a cashier?"

"The cashier was looking at me weird, said a few things. It made Iggy mad."

Max looked thoughtful. "Oh I see. He got jealous."

"W-what?" Mackenzie stammered, "No! He was just being a little over protective, that's it."

"I bet he sent the guy to the hospital."

"That's beside the point. He wasn't jealous."

"Man, you're really determined to convince yourself Iggy doesn't like you."

"It's the truth."

"Bull. Iggy likes you and everyone except for the blind idiot himself knows it."

"You're getting a kick out of this argument," Mackenzie observed, seeing Max's grin. Max shrugged in replied. "Fang doesn't say much when we argue and the others don't usually go against my word. You're fun to argue with. We should do this more often."

Mackenzie rolled her eyes. "I should have never said anything in the first place."

"Anyway, let's forget about how Iggy feels about you. How do you feel around him?"

"I already told him that I liked him. You can't get more specific than that."

"But how does he make you feel?" Max urged, "Do you get butterflies in your stomach and all that crap?"

"Are you sure you aren't planning to become a therapist?" Mackenzie asked.

"Ew, no. If you put a space after the first three letters of 'therapist', it becomes 'the rapist'."

"Who'd you get that from?"

"Iggy."

Mackenzie rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Stop stalling. How does he make you feel?"

Mackenzie paused to think about Max's question. How did Iggy make her feel?

"Cold." She finally answered. Max looked confused. "Cold?"

Mackenzie nodded. "He makes me feel cold."

"Isn't that a bad thing? Shouldn't he make you feel warm inside? I'll remind the buffoon to bring a jacket next time he's around you."

Mackenzie shook her head. "No, it's not a bad thing. Everything about me relates to fire. I always feel like I'm burning up. Iggy kinda cools me down. I feel like he simmers down the fire that always burns me up. Like all my troubles go up in flames."

"That's the first time I've ever heard that before."

"I like to keep it original."

"Hm."

"But none of that means he likes me."

Max rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."

"You are too."

"Touché."

There was a comfortable silence, both girls lost in their thoughts, until Mackenzie asked, "Any idea where we are?"

"Nope. I'm usually given to the VIP treatment. You know, dog crates, tight spaces, cramped muscles. Who knows what they're planning this time."

Mackenzie nodded. "They've changed tactics. Then again, I haven't seen or had anything to do with them for years."

"They're planning something new. Something different."

"You two are absolutely right, my dears."

"I knew they would get along very well. It was only a matter of time before they met."

Both girls looked up, alarmed at the two men that had suddenly appeared in their room.

"Jeb," Max spat, "Why am I not surprised at seeing you here. And you brought one of your buddies along too."

Jeb offered a smile, but it was clearly fake. "Why Maximum, you know I wouldn't have brought in someone else if they weren't of upmost importance. You may not know this man but I'm sure that your friend Miss Mackenzie-" he glanced at the other girl, "-is quite familiar with Mr. Hayes. Aren't you?"

Mackenzie could only stare at the second man in shock. His clothes were different, but his voice gave him away. There was no doubt about it. The man standing by Jeb was definitely the figure in black from her last nightmare.

* * *

**Happy Monday! I had fun writing Mackenzie's and Max's conversation.**

**Please review if you have the time! ^_^**

**How should I involve other characters? Do anyone want Dylan to back? Please give some suggestions!**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Max turned to look at her. "Mackenzie, you know this guy?"

Mackenzie scoffed. "More like he was in my nightmare. You know, the one that… Yeah."

"Hmm, no wonder you screamed. Just look at him," Max looked back at the man from Mackenzie's nightmare and raised an eyebrow at him, "You sneak into teenage girls' dreams often? 'Cause I want to be prepared for some weirdo creeping around my nightmares."

The man chuckled at Max like she was a 6-year old and had just said the world was flat before patting Jeb on the back. "Ho ho. You were right Batchelder. This one really is like mine." He gestured to Mackenzie.

"Yours?" She stared at the man with disdain. "I'm no ones, thank you very much. It's not like you're my-"

Her sentence died out, a thought creeping into her mind. She opened her mouth to ask her question, but Max beat her to the punch.

"You're her dad, aren't you?" Max guessed. The man's eyes widened and Mackenzie felt her stomach drop.

"Why of course not you silly girl." he said. He turned to Jeb. "Can you believe how ridiculous they get once you let them into the real world?"

Mackenzie let out a breath of relief. "Wait. Then how do you even know me?"

The man smiled at her and said, "Don't you recognize me? It's your favorite Uncle Mark."

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes, "I never knew who my parents were, let alone the fact I had an uncle. Especially a 'favorite' uncle. You're probably on my mom's side. You said something about me looking like her."

He nodded. "You remember my words. Yes. I was your mother's older brother. She used to be a scientist too, but then she was blinded. Blinded by love. She fell in love with your father and soon after, you were born."

"What happened to them?" Mackenzie asked, "Why'd they leave me here?"

Her 'uncle' shook his head. "That's not important. Now, Mr. Batchelder and I have been talking to the Director, and we decided that you two-"

Max stopped them from continuing. "Oh heck no. You've ruined our lives for far too long. We're not taking any part in your new plan to blow-up the world or whatever you're trying to do."

Mackenzie nodded and crossed her arms. "I'm with her. There's no way I'd do anything for you guys."

Something flashed in the men's eyes that she couldn't identify, but it was gone as soon as it came.

"Wouldn't you two like to see the Flock?" Jeb asked nonchalantly. Max's eyes immediately narrowed.

"What'd you do to them?" she growled suspiciously. The two men's faces still revealed nothing as Jeb continued. "I'm sure they're dying to see you again. Why don't we bring them in?"

As if on cue, the bolted door opened and the rest of the Flock was brought in, handcuffed and watched over by two Erasers each. Mackenzie glanced at Max for a fleeting second, as if asking, 'Should we make a move?', but Max shook her head and nodded towards the doorway, where tens of other Erasers stood. No one was hurt, save for a few bruises and scratches that had probably been from fighting the Erasers before capture.

"As you can see," Mark said, "No harm has come to them… Yet. We will begin experimenting for all of you tomorrow. Mr. Batchelder has convinced me to be lenient and let you all stay in the same room, however, the room is monitored with cameras so don't try anything funny."

With that, he snapped his fingers and the Erasers released the members of the Flock, before filing into a single file line and marching out, Jeb and Mark going last.

"Wait!" Mackenzie called. The two scientists stopped and turned to look at her. "Yes?"

"My mother," she breathed, "What happened to my mother?"

Mark waved Jeb out the door before looking back at Mackenzie.

"She's dead," he answered flatly, closing the door and bolting it once more it, the loud _clang_ from the other side of the wall ringing loudly across the room.

Mackenzie stood staring blankly at where her new-found uncle had just been, his words slowly registering in her mind.

_Dead. Her mother, whom she had never even known, was dead._

Life really sucked sometimes.

* * *

She was still in the same position by the time Max unlocked all the others' handcuffs and freed Total from a cage, staring at the door. She wasn't really sure why she cared so much. She had never known either of her parents, and was independent at a young age, mostly from being alone at the School since she was an infant. So why did it hurt to know her mother was gone? Maybe it was because she had always held onto that one thought. That her mother had been searching for her, looking for her lost daughter. Was her so called 'uncle' even telling the truth? She couldn't really trust some guy that just popped up in her nightmare after all. Who could she trust? Unconsciously, she peeked at the Flock from the corner of her eye. Did she trust them? She didn't talk much with them, save for Max and Iggy, but they seemed to be good people- er, bird-people. Was that even a word? Probably not. A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her thoughts and on instinct, she immediately grabbed the hand and threw the person over her shoulder.

"Ow!"

Mackenzie stared in surprise at Iggy, who was sitting on the floor and cradling his hand. "Iggy! Don't startle me like that. I have sensitive reflexes."

"You could've warned me before you grabbed my poor hand crushed it into itty bitty pieces!" he moaned. Mackenzie rolled her eyes at him.

"Do you want someone to kiss it better?" she asked sarcastically. He nodded eagerly, and held his hand out to her like an injured puppy. She grabbed it and examined the pale hand before letting it go. "It's fine. Nothing's broken drama queen."

"But you didn't kiss it better," he whined. Mackenzie shook her head. "Nuh uh. That's not in this girl's job description. Have someone else kiss it."

She looked back to the Flock. "Any volunteers?"

"Ew-"

"No way!"

"Technically, I'm a dog and can't kiss-"

"Why would anyone want to-"

"Sorry, no homo-"

"He can kiss it himself! He's got a pair of lips, doesn't he?"

"Haters," Iggy murmured, "Haters, all of you."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! You guys are all meanie-heads. Why won't you review? You're not that busy are you?**

**Anyway spring break is around the corner, which means more sleeping in!**

**For those who guessed who the figure in black was, it was her uncle, not her father.**

**Please please _please _review! I enjoy getting notifications not just about update from stories I'm following, but about you guys reviewing!**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"So, according to the others, you were staring at the door with a depressed look on your face. Considering in joining Fang in the emo life?" Iggy asked.

"Iggy…" Fang warned. "For the last time, I'm not emo."

"Yeah yeah," Iggy replied halfheartedly before turning back to Mackenzie, "Talk to Doctor Iggy."

"It's nothing," she stated firmly.

Iggy crossed his arms. "Oh come on. That's like, the two most confusing words of the female vocabulary, aside from 'I'm fine' that is…"

"What are you talking about this time?" she asked.

"Yeah," Nudge interrupted, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Iggy rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Oh, you know. Girls are always mad about something and when a guy finally decides to ask what's wrong, the girl say, 'I'm fine' or 'It's nothing', when in reality, it's _not_ fine, and something is _definitely_ wrong. But the _guy_ doesn't know that so he drops the subject, and suddenly, the girl's angry at him for neglecting her and not listening!"

He threw his arms in the air. "What's the guy supposed to do?!"

"Find a girl who doesn't do that." Max mumbled, her face tucked in the inside of Fang's shoulder, with one of Fang's arms wrapped around her, the other stroking her hair softly. They looked like a couple off a Hallmark card and Mackenzie contemplated taking a picture.

"Of course not!" Nudge exclaimed, "The guy should obviously take the time needed to comfort the girl and ask a second time, or a third time, or a fourth time, because the girl _wants_ to tell the guy what's going on but she wants the guy to actually listen and consider her feelings, not just nod and say, 'Uh huh' or something stupid like that. If I had a boyfriend, I would totally tell him what was going on and he would hold me and let me tell him all my troubles and-"

"Nudge!" Mackenzie clapped a hand over Nudge's mouth. "I think you've passed you daily limit. Let's give someone else a turn to speak, how about that?"

She turned back to Iggy. "What were we talking about again?"

He shrugged. "Oh you know, you were just telling Doctor Iggy about how you were infatuated with some dashing blind bird hunk. Please continue."

She whacked him across the back of his head.

"Ouch! Hey! A guy can try!"

* * *

The next morning, Mackenzie woke up strapped to an experimenting table in a white room. She observed her surroundings, noting a security camera in one corner of the room. She struggled against her bonds, only to feel a jolt of electricity run through her, catching her off guard.

"It's best not to struggle against the latest inventions. Who knows what those electric shocks could do to your small-enough brain?"

She glared at the white coat in front of her. "You have ten seconds before I break your stupid new invention and send you five feet under." She continued to pull at the straps holding her down, only to get shocked again, this time stronger.

The white coat tsked at her. "Pity. The last experiment didn't make it past stage 5, five hundred volts. Then again, you're kind are genetically enhanced." He pulled out a pencil from his pocket and began writing something down on the clipboard in his hands. "This will be interesting indeed."

She pulled at the restraints emitting another shock that made her toes go numb. "Let. Me. GO!"

The white coat didn't reply, just jotting more notes. She growled and pulled at the restraint again. _Zap!_ A buzzing noise filled the air and Mackenzie could see smoke rising from the straps holding her down.

"So, where's dear Uncle Mark?" she spat. The white coat finally decided to re-acknowledge her existence and looked up from his clipboard.

"Mr. Hayes had…other pressing matters to take care of. You're now at stage 4, four hundred volts."

"Oh goody me," she said sarcastically, "Do I get a prize or something?"

The white coat sighed. "Why did I volunteer for this position?"

Mackenzie sat up against the wires, creating another buzzing noise in the air. "Hey, are you even listening to me?"

"Five hundred volts," he murmured to himself. "Man, I could've signed up for storage check, or genetic splicing."

"Helloooo?" she called. "Anyone home in that pea sized organ you call a brain?"

"Enough!" the man snapped. "You don't understand the importance of these experiments. We're going to change the world for the greater of mankind!"

"I'm not a man," she reasoned, "Nor kind, or so I've been told. I'm guessing this plan doesn't apply to me, so you can just drop me off at the nearest town and I'll just be on my way-"

"Be quiet!" the man seethed, "before I call reinforcements to come in to subdue you."

"You mean bringing in Erasers that will beat me into unconsciousness while you hide in the corner. Very manly plan."

"You just don't know when to stop!" the man yelled, "you're playing with fire, experiment ERIF-003."

Something inside Mackenzie just snapped after his last sentence.

"Don't you dare," she growled, trying to sit up and ignoring the multiple crackles and pops coming from the straps holding her down, "use that word with me."

A smug look overcame the white coat's face. "You mean fire, right?" he taunted.

Mackenzie's tightened her fists.

"I remember now," the white coat said, taking note of Mackenzie's clenched fists, "You were the one who burned down the facility in Maine, if I'm not mistaken."

She closed her eyes and tried to keep her body from beginning to tremble. "No," she murmured, more to herself than the white coat, "It wasn't my fault. I wasn't my fault."

"You wasted quite a couple of experiments in that incident. However, it was well worth the results. Good thing the scientists in that unit had planned an escape beforehand."

Her eyes snapped open. "They're alive? I'm not the only survivor?"

He waved his hand around in the air. "Of course not. That facility was on the verge of getting caught by government officials. Everything happen according to the plan."

"Where are the surviving experiments?" she asked frantically, "Where were they taken?"

"Surviving experiments?" the white coat chuckled, "There were no surviving experiments. According to the Maine Unit, you weren't even supposed to be alive. The idea was to dispose of any evidence of experimentation so the government would leave them alone. Why would they let those pitiful failures live?"

Mackenzie saw red. "How could you say such a horrible thing!" she roared. "Those people you call 'pitiful failures' were as human as you before terrible people like you ruined their lives! Imagine if this had happened to one of your loved ones!"

He shrugged. "In this world, Darwin's theory is those chosen by nature, the strong, will outlive the weak and survive, passing on their traits to future generations. And those that are weak, will not survive."

Fury engulfed Mackenzie and she could smell something burning, although this time it wasn't the restraints burning her. She looked down at the straps, or what seemed to be the remains of the straps. They seemed to have burned out, leaving piles of ash and charred remains. She was the one who had burned them away, Mackenzie realized. She sat up and brushed away what was left of the restraints and got off the table, glaring at the white coat, who was staring at her in shock.

"How did- The others never- I don't beli-" he stammered. She made her way to him, making sure that each step was more menacing than the next, anger building up inside her, the fire boiling her blood with each second. The white coat stumbled away from her, and as he ran, he grabbed something out of his pocket and pressed a button. Probably trying to call for help.

_He doesn't deserve to live_, a voice whispered in her head.

With a snarl she launched herself at him, only to be tackled to the side with someone heavy, probably an Eraser. She was thrown to the floor, her head slamming into the concrete. And then everything went black.

* * *

**Happy Easter guys! Sorry for being a little slow on update.**

**Thanks a bunch to those who took the time to review! The others are still meanie heads.**

**It's spring break for me, so I'm off to the gorgeous, warm place I call my bed. (LOL you thought I was going somewhere, didn't you?)**

**Please review if you have the time! (In other words, review. The adorable face to the right commands you.) ^_^**

**Less than three,**

**Palmer Pie**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

By the time Mackenzie regained consciousness, she was back in the hotel-room cage. She tried sitting up, only to have practically every single muscle in her body scream bloody murder. She flinched and plopped back to her original position on the bed.

"You look like you had a nasty hangover."

She peeled her eyes open to see the girls of the Flock sitting on the next bed. Nudge and Angel were playing a game of cards, while Max was sitting cross legged, staring at the now awake Mackenzie.

"You're not any better," Mackenzie retorted. It was true. Max looked tired and was breathing heavily. There were red rings around her ankles and dark circles under her eyes. Still, her eyes looked determined and unbreakable. Mackenzie raised an eyebrow. "Treadmill test?"

Max nodded, "Yeah. They made me run until I blanked. What happened to you? You got a nasty bump on your head."

Mackenzie reached up and felt around her head until she felt the bump. Once her hand made contact, a spiking pain shot through her head and her view blurred. She closed her eyes and groaned.

"Leave it alone for now," Angel's voice washed over her in a gentle tone. "Iggy can treat it once he gets back."

"Yeah," Nudge snickered, "And he can kiss it better for you."

Mackenzie blindly reached around the bed she was on for a pillow before chucking it in the direction of Nudge's voice.

"Hey!"

"Did I get her?" she mumbled.

"No," came Max's voice, "But you expertly nailed a tableside lamp."

"Close enough. Are you guys still playing cards?"

"We were," Nudge said, "but it's starting to get boring and they should totally install a TV into the room or at least a radio or something, I mean how do they expect us to entertain ourselves?"

"Never mind that," Mackenzie said, "Hand me the deck of cards for a moment would you?"

Angel handed it over Mackenzie began to shuffle them randomly.

"As you see," she started, "I am simply shuffling the cards. There's not particular pattern, no extra cards under my sleeve, or anything of the sort."

She fanned the deck out and held it up to Nudge so that the side with the number and suit were unknown. "Pick a card, any card."

Nudge pulled one out from the center of the deck, taking the time to memorize the suit and number and showing it to Max and Angel for confirmation. Then, she placed the card back in the deck and Mackenzie once again reshuffled the deck. Without even looking at the deck, she said, "Your card is the nine of hearts."

The other three girls' jaws dropped.

"How did you-"

"You didn't even look-"

"What trick did you use?"

Mackenzie smirked. "It's simple, really." She held up the deck so that the others could see the rest of the cards. "It was the only option."

The other three were shocked. The entire deck of cards now consisted of cards with the nine of hearts. Nudge reached forward and took the deck back.

"Impossible," she breathed as she checked each card. They all read nine of hearts. She looked back at Mackenzie. "How'd you do it?"

"A magician never reveals her secrets," Mackenzie replied. She grabbed the deck and handed one of the cards back to Nudge. "That's the original I believe." She then reshuffled the remaining cards and blew on them before showing them to the girls again. This time, the cards were back to their original form. Not only that, but they were in order from one ace all the way to the colored joker.

A small applause sounded from behind Mackenzie and she turned around. Her 'Uncle Mark' and Jeb were standing behind her, cold smiles intact.

"Magnificent," Mark noted, "And when did you gather the time to learn that?"

Max stepped forward. "That's none of you business. Where are the boys?"

Jeb tsked. "Now Max, you know better than to treat others with such little respect."

"Oh yeah, because there's no better way to show respect than by experimenting on children and planning to destroy the world." Mackenzie spat.

Mark turned to her. "Don't you start too. The scientists were not too excited to hear that you destroyed their new invention."

She crossed her arms. "Oh bless their poor souls. It's not like they were trying to electrocute me to death or anything."

Jeb sighed. "Stubborn as always you two." He turned to look at Mark. "Tell the others to send in the rest of the subjects. We're done for the day."

The men walked out of the room and moments later, a group of Erasers dragged in the remaining three boys and a woozy Total who was murmuring meaningless babble to himself. After the Erasers left Angel ran over to pick Total up. "Total! Are you okay?"

"Don' mind me jus' tryin' ta go round town and pop them blooming trousers off the cycling team." Total slurred. Great. They probably stuffed him somewhere with laughing gas or something.

Mackenzie snickered, but the movement made her accidentally bump her head on the wall behind her and she let out a hiss of pain before sinking back into the covers of the bed.

"Was that Mackenzie?" Iggy asked.

"Oh yeah," Nudge said, "the Erasers, like, brought her in unconscious and she had this _huuuuge_ bump on her head and it's gotten smaller but when she woke up, she said it still hurt really bad but then she this amazing magic trick with the deck of cards they gave us and then Jeb and Mackenzie's uncle showed up and then-"

"What Nudge was probably going to say in the near future," Max interrupted, "Was that Mackenzie needs Iggy to take a look at her and see if he can do anything about her injury."

Iggy clapped his hands together. "Okay. Where's the patient?"

"Here," Mackenzie called from under the comforter.

He reached toward the direction her voice came from and ended up grabbing her foot, tickling her in the process. Her ticklish reflex immediately kicked in and her foot snapped up, making contact with Iggy's cheek. He stumbled back, clutching his face as he plopped to the ground.

"Man down! Man down!" Gazzy yelled. Mackenzie quickly got off the bed and stood up, her head spinning, but she still made her way over to Iggy. "Oh god, I'm sorry Iggy, it's just it really tickled and- Oh crap a bruise is forming let's get you to the restroom. There should be a first aid kit in there somewhere."

As she bent down to help Iggy back up, she felt the blood rush to her head and she swayed back and forth, almost falling down onto Iggy. Luckily, he caught her and steadied her, before getting up himself. "It's just a bruise, you shouldn't be moving around too much with that bump on your head, or standing."

Without giving her a warning, he picked her up bridal-style and began to carry her towards the bathroom. She was so surprised her arms flailed out, almost whacking Gazzy who was standing nearby. "What the- Iggy! Put me down! I'm not some weak wimp. I can stand on my own, thank you very much."

"Why your welcome," he replied cheekily.

"Iggy!"

* * *

**Hello! Barely made my weekly deadline. I have some fun stuff planned for the next few chapters. Hehehe...**

**Thanks to all the awesome people who reviewed, followed and favorited this week! Seeing just the notification that someone new followed/favorited or reviewed reeeaaally made my day!**

**And for those that didn't review... you suck.**

**AND MAY THE SCHOOL KIDNAP YOU AND RUIN YOUR LIFE!**

**Just kidding, I wouldn't wish that upon you guys, but seriously, review. ^_^**

**Ugh, schools starting back up again, which means... work. **

**Oh blah, now I'm just typing random stuff to trick myself into thinking I have a life lol.**

**Hope you guys had a nice spring break!**

**Less than three, **

**PalmerPie**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"That was completely unnecessary," Mackenzie huffed as Iggy sat her down on top of the bathroom sink.

"I know, I just wanted a good excuse to hold you," Iggy winked at her. She smacked his arm and murmured, "Pervert."

He rubbed his arm. "Ouchie. You gave me another boo-boo."

She rolled her eyes. "My _sincerest _apologies."

He straightened up. "That's better. Now let's take a look at that bump on your head."

His first move was to feel around her head, like she had when she had first woken up, until, like her, he hit the bump. Mackenzie felt the same shock of pain and she flinched backwards. "Ow!"

"There's the bump. Now, is there a first-aid kit in here?"

Mackenzie looked around. "Oh, there it is, let me just go and-"

"No," Iggy stated briskly, "Don't move. Gazzy!"

The young boy's head popped into view. "What do want Igs? I don't wanna see you get it on in here with Mackenzie."

Both teenagers faces' were the color of ripe cherries and Mackenzie asked, "Where on earth did you get that impression?"

The Gasman shrugged. "Max and Nudge were talking about it out there. Besides, Iggy's obviously faking his injury to get your attention."

She glanced at the blind pyro, who was glaring at Gazzy like there was no tomorrow. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, a bruise like that's nothing for Iggy. He's had way worse. Angel said he's probably trying to see how much you care for him."

"N-n-n-no!" Iggy stammered, his cheeks redder than ever, if that was even possible, "I'm not faking anything. Gaz, shut up and hand me the first aid kit, wherever it is."

"Fine," Gazzy murmured, grabbing the small metal box and handing it to Iggy on his way out. "Keep it PG you guys."

"Shut up!" the other two yelled. The rest of the Flock's laughter sounded from the other room.

"So," Mackenzie started, making sure Gazzy wasn't within hearing range of their conversation, "is your injury as drastic as you claim it is or are you just being an attention hog?"

"Nope," Iggy said as he did his medical magic on her head, making it feel as though she had never been tackled by an Eraser onto a concrete floor, "Your foot is 100% painful when it kicks people's cheek. I need intense medical attention."

"Oh well," she sighed smugly, "I guess I can't 'kiss it better' or else I might do some extra damage and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Iggy put his hand up to stop her, "possibly fatal injury or not my cheek is always open for a kiss to make it better."

He leaned toward her, giving her perfect access to his cheek. She laughed. "That's not even the cheek with the injury."

Iggy turned his face the other way. "The other one needed some love too."

"Uh huh. I'm sure it did." Without even thinking, Mackenzie leaned over and kissed Iggy on the cheek. Both of them jumped back a little in shock, faces flushing pink. Iggy let out a small cough.

"Oh geez, I'm sorry, I wasn't even thinking and-"

"It's fine," Iggy interrupted, "It's just…"

"Did it hurt? I really am sorry."

He shook his head furiously. "No! No.. It's just…" He fiddled with his fingers, his cheeks turning redder by the second. "My lips hurt too?" His last statement ended up sounding like a question, but still making Mackenzie blush.

"Oh," was all she said. "Well, we can't let an injury untreated can we?"

"No we can't," Iggy wore a full blown grin and as they both leaned in-

"Are you done in there?! I neeeeeeeeeeeeeed to pee so bad! My bladder's going to EXPLODE!" Nudge's voice sounded from the other side of the door.

The two jumped back as though they had been shocked, their cheeks flushed and warm. Iggy muttered a string of colorful words under his breath. Some that included, "That **** crooked bladder of hers." Seconds later, the chatterbox began banging on the door.

"Are you guys deaf? Stop hogging the bathroom!"

"It's open!" Mackenzie called back. She slid off the counter as Nudge opened the door. Seeing Mackenzie's pink face and Iggy's furious one, Nudge's eyes widened. "Ohmigosh I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something important?"

Mackenzie tried to keep her face from heating up even more as she shook her head furiously. "No, sorry to keep your poor bladder waiting."

As she made her way over to the door, Iggy's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. "Mackenzie, wait."

She stopped and turned to look at him. He suddenly seemed to be at a lost for words as he stuttered, "You-you uh, don't forget to watch your head."

She smiled shyly at him. "Thanks. It's a lot better thanks to you."

And with that, she headed back to the other room, wondering what would've happened if they had actually kissed.

* * *

That night, Mackenzie didn't have the same nightmare as usual. In fact, she hadn't had a nightmare since she had been captured by the School. Figures. They were probably the ones behind her miserable nights. However, she had another dream.

_She was sitting in a dark room, chained to the chair and her only source of light was an old flickering light bulb, covered in dust and hanging over her head. A dark figure emerged from the shadows. She sighed. "You again? Where's your partner in crime?"_

"_Mr. Batchelder had some other issues to attend to," Mark replied coolly._

_She nodded. "Sure. What's with the mysterious room and all?"_

"_You will be sent to a secret location to attend a very important auction. Your job is to attain one of the items that will be auctioned off. Someone else will fill you in later on that."_

"_What the heck are you talking about? What's going on? Where are the others?"_

_Mark shook his head. "As expected. You became attached to that group of experiments. From now on, you will be working separately and individually. You do not need the other five experiments. You are very powerful alone. Solitude would do you good."_

"_You can't just decide-"_

"_Furthermore," he said, cutting her off, "You will be tracked so there is no chance of escape. If you do, there will be consequences."_

"_You can do whatever you want to me. I'm not-"_

"_Oh no, the consequences won't be directed at you. Let's just say if you misbehave, you'll lose one of those 'friends' you've gotten so close to. Permanently."_

"_You guys are sick, heartless jerks," she snarled, "It's a wonder why my mother didn't ditch your horrible group sooner."_

_Mark's eyes flashed with something she couldn't identify and his voice took on an icy tone. "The auction will be a black tie occasion. You will be given some money, but you may not try to escape. Remember that you are being tracked. It's best if you use it for your benefit. Use any method necessary to obtain the item from the auction."_

"_Even stealing?"_

"_Any method necessary."_

"_What's the point in me going to steal some item for you? You guys obviously have money, so why doesn't anyone just grow a pair and oh I don't know, actually BID for it at the auction."_

"_There will be many people bidding for that item. Many people we do not want as enemies or finding out about our organization. It's best you retrieve the item and leave as soon as possible and before the item goes up for bid."_

"_Okay, so I'm being blackmailed into stealing some really powerful thing from a auction. Not only that, I have to dress fancy and my friends' lives are at stake. Perfect. Can I at least know what I'm looking for?"_

_He gave a cold smile. "You'll see."_

_And with that, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving her in a dreamless sleep._

The next morning, Mackenzie woke up lying on a hard floor. She was wearing the same clothes, but they had been obviously cleaned and she shuddered at the thought of some perverted scientist washing her clothes and changing her. She sat up, and realized she was on top of a roof. She could hear morning traffic down below and the smell of fast food breakfast reached her nose. Beside her sat a small duffel bag, and inside, were instructions of what to do and a handful of cash. She discovered a thin silver anklet around her left ankle. Despite its appearance, she couldn't remove it and she realized this must be the tracker. She stood up, the duffel bag slung on her shoulder.

The only question now was: Where on earth was she?

* * *

**Dun dun dun! Happy Saturday guys! Hope you enjoyed that chapter. I'm horrible huh? Stopping them from their first real kiss. Don't worry, I have the real one planned in a way I think you guys will enjoy.**

**Lots of pillows and thanks to those who reviewed, faved, and followed. You guys rock! The others are doo-doo heads...**

**Please review or follow or fave, whatever. It makes me haapy. ^_^**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Secret location, my butt," Mackenzie murmured as she stood in front of a large sign that clearly read, "WELCOME TO OKLAHOMA CITY. POPULATION: 591,967." Not that it helped much. Mackenzie had never learned geography and could navigate her way into nowhere, unless she was in the skies. She trusted where her wings took her. She took in the bustling city around, making an observation here and there. She opened the duffel bag given to her and took out a few dollar bills. First things first: food.

Mackenzie loved buffets. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to love her back. She had managed to sniff out a Golden Corral and immediately went in. After finishing at least 20 plates of food, trying every dish at least once and making the chocolate fountain run dry, the staff had finally kicked Mackenzie out when she asked for a 50 gallon doggy bag. Needless to say, she managed to cram in a few bites before she was thrown out.

After that she went in search for a tuxedo rental shop. There was no way she was wearing a dress and heels to a stupid auction. She still had some dignity. She would just attend the event as a guy. Mark never said anything about how specifically to dress. After all, it was a _black tie_ event. After renting the tuxedo under the name 'Mark Hayes' (she was sure her 'dear' uncle wouldn't mind too much), Mackenzie made her way to a local pharmacy where she bought a bottle of foundation that was much tanner than her natural skin color. The best part of pretending to be a man: you got to completely change you identity. She also bought a wig with blue black hair (she had always wanted to know what she would look like with that hair color). She could've dyed her hair and eyebrows instead but she couldn't bring herself to put chemicals in her hair, like the scientists from the School and Lab did to their experiments every day.

She assembled her purchases in the unisex restroom in the pharmacy, binding her chest with gauze purchased from the pharmacy, rubbing the darker skin toned foundation over parts of her body that would be exposed (face, neck, arms, legs, hands, feet, etc.), changing into the tuxedo and dress shoes she had rented, as well as putting on the wig, making sure to glue two pieces of hair she had cut off from the wig over her eyebrows, and to give her feminine face a more masculine edge, she cut off another small piece of hair from the wig and glued it to her chin as a goatee. After looking into the mirror and making sure she looked convincing enough, as well as unrecognizable, she left the restroom as a young man.

As she stopped at an ice cream shop for a rewarding treat, she noticed her money stack running low. She decided to pick several pockets of the customers at the ice cream shop just in case she did have a chance of escaping. After all, if they could afford ice cream, they could go go without a few bucks. As she finished her second bowl of triple fudge delight, she opened the duffel bag and pulled out the slip of paper containing information of when and where the auction was to be held, along with a description of item.

**Devon Energy Center-6:30 pm**

**50****th**** Floor-Vast Restaurant**

**Item #374**

She checked the time on a nearby clock on the wall. 3:45 pm. That gave her several hours to find the Devon Energy Center and get used to the place, as well as look for the fastest and most convenient escape routes. But first, she had to find the place.

Of course, being the expert navigator she was, Mackenzie ended up wasting an hour and a half getting lost in the city. She finally sucked up her pride and asked a local for directions, making sure to keep her voice several octaves lower as to not give away her real voice.

"Excuse me mam," she asked a women on the same street as her in a low baritone, "Would you happen to know where the Devon Energy Center is located?"

The woman giggled, batting her lashes at Mackenzie (which she found disturbing before realizing the woman saw her as a man), and said, "I was watching you for a while, walking up and down the street, looking so clueless." She giggled again, and Mackenzie had the sudden urge to punch her. "The Devon Energy Center is right over there." She pointed to an extremely tall building nearby that Mackenzie had walked past at least seven or eight times.

Mackenzie took a deep breath to keep herself from yelling something like, "YOU WATCHED ME WALK PAST THAT BUILDING AT LEAST FIVE TIMES AND DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?!" at the woman and instead nodded to her. "Thank you for the help."

The woman giggled for what Mackenzie felt like was the millionth time and replied, "Anytime. Anytime." and with a wink, she handed a slip of paper to Mackenzie and walked off. Mackenzie looked down at the paper, which contained the woman's name and probably her phone number with the words "Call Me XOXO." at the bottom. She shuddered and immediately crumped the paper into a ball before throwing it into a close by recycling bin.

With a sigh at how oblivious she was to the fact that the Devon Energy Center was right there, Mackenzie made her way to the tall building. By the time she was done scoping out most of the building, it was almost time for the auction to begin so she made her way to the top floor. The moment she stepped out the elevator she was surrounded by people, making her claustrophobic wings ruffle in irritation. Praising herself for being smart and hiding the duffle bag somewhere else beforehand, she started walking toward an empty table, and almost immediately bumped into someone.

"Sorry man," a familiar voice said. Mackenzie's head shot up to look at the person. He too, was decked out in a black tuxedo, matching his usual black attire, as well as his hair and eyes. He looked the same as she had last seen him but she was shocked that he was here, because standing in front of her, lo and behold was Fang. Which meant the rest of the Flock was here. Crap.

* * *

**Hello my good people! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, as well as refuses to review as a review, and for following or favoriting my story! It means a lot.**

**I updated a little earlier than usual because I will be a bit busy this weekend and didn't want to let you all down so enjoy!**

**Please continue reading, reviewing, following/favoriting, breathing, you know. ^_^**

**If you guys have any suggestions, please send them in a review. I know lots of you are cursing me to the depths of Tartarus (PJO reference!) for holding back on the kiss and everything, but it is coming soon, pinky promise!**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"I, uh, it's cool man," Mackenzie replied in the low baritone. Inside, she was having a panic attack. _Crap crap crap! What are the freaking odds of them being here?! I can't believe my luck. Of all the auctions in the entire world, they come here! _Fang said something that brought her out of her thoughts. She looked back at him. "Huh?"

"You look familiar."

She suddenly felt like a deer caught in headlights. "Umm…"

"F-Nick!" a voice called from behind her. She turned around and her heart beat involuntarily sped up. Iggy, closely followed by the rest of the Flock, minus Total, jogged toward them. Nudge spoke first. "Where were you? We've been looking for you everywhere! Max got really worried and insisted that we search for you in case the- oh!"

She finally noticed Mackenzie standing there. "Who's this? Hi! I'm Tiffany-Krystal! Wow I still love that name. This is Zephyr and Jeff and Ariel and Max," she pointed to everyone as she said their name, "and I'm sure you've met Nick and-"

"Tiffany!" Gazzy shouted. "Don't scare the poor guy away!" He held out his hand to shake with a smile. "What's your name?"

"I'm Ma…" Her voice died out as she realized she almost said her real name, like Nudge had almost called Fang's in the beginning. She had to think of something quickly. Max was already looking at her suspiciously and she could _feel_ Angel trying to probe into her mind. Thankfully she had thought of it beforehand to block her mind. The others, save for Fang who kept his face neutral, looked at her expectantly. She feigned a cough. "I'm Matt."

"So, Matt," Max continued to eye her suspiciously, "What brings you here?"

"Oh you know," Mackenzie waved her hand in the air, "The auction, the amazing view, not to mention there's free food and-"

"FREE FOOD?!" they exclaimed.

"What on earth are we waiting for? Charge!" Iggy started forward, only to be stopped by a stern Max.

"Jeff! This is supposed to be a sophisticated event, where you act _sophisticated_. Please at least _try_ to act like you have some class."

Gazzy snorted. "Oh please. Jeff has as much class as summer vacation. None, that is."

"Hey!"

"C'mon," Angel tugged at Fang's hand. "Let's go get a table so before all the good ones are taken."

"Good idea Ariel. Nick, take the others and go find a table. I'll catch up in a moment."

Fang sent Max one last fleeting glance, but they had obviously communicated like this before because Mackenzie couldn't get a single word out of their silent conversation. After they disappeared into the crowd, Max turned to Mackenzie, arms crossed. "Okay then. What really brings you here?"

"What?"

Max scoffed. "Give me a break. It's obvious you aren't here for the auction. You don't even have a little sign like other people do, much less an auction number. Your goatee is fake for goodness sakes."

With that, Max leaned over and ripped the piece of hair Mackenzie had glued to her chin right off. Mackenzie backed away from her, covering her now bare chin with her hand. "Dude, what the heck?"

Max crossed her arms, smirking. "I knew it. Care to explain what you're doing with a fate goatee?"

"How'd you even know it wasn't real?"

"Some of the hair fell off when you coughed."

Mackenzie held back a bad word threatening to slip from her mouth. "Oh."

"That's right, yeah. Now what are you trying to do. Don't even think about lying to me."

Mackenzie held her hands up in a sign of surrender, trying to stall long enough for her to think of a decent lie. "Chill. I'm not 'trying to do' anything. I just wanted to look a little more mature, you know? This is a pretty big event and I wanted to look presentable."

Max eyed her once again and Mackenzie tried to keep her expression as blank as possible. "Fine. But I'm keeping an eye on you, _Matt_, if that's even your real name."

"Okay, I don't see the point, but you do that. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to enjoy the free food and the auction."

She walked away from Max, breaking out into a cold sweat as she tried to find a small empty table where she could become unnoticeable and be able to observe everything. After finding one, she sat down and gazed the room, keeping her back to the wall. She noticed that Flock was sitting not too far away, a little closer to the exit at the similar table, one that didn't draw too much attention and was convenient for escape. Nudge noticed her staring and waved. The rest of the Flock looked to where she was waving and Mackenzie nodded nervously at them. Max's eyes narrowed at her and she sighed. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"You keep looking back at the Matt guy we met earlier," Fang murmured in Max's ear, sending shivers down her spine. She smirked in return. "Jealous?"

"Depends. You're looking at him suspiciously."

Max sighed. "You know me too well. Something about him bothers me."

"Iggy too."

She turned to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"He was all sulky when we got here."

"He's just worried about Mackenzie. Jeb wouldn't tell him where she was, not to mention threatening her life and he had Gazzy flipping through phonebooks a few hours ago."

Fang chuckled. "Don't see how that'll help. But look at him now."

Max glanced at where Iggy and Gazzy were sitting. They were joking about something and Iggy had a smile on his face, as if Mackenzie was with them or something. She turned back to Fang. "It is a little weird. At least they're being civilized."

"That's because the food isn't here yet." Fang replied, nuzzling her neck. Max felt her face flush. "Fang! So not the time."

"You look beautiful dressed up," he said as he reluctantly left Max's neck alone.

"You're not too bad yourself." That was an understatement. There were very few times where the Flock dressed up but when they did, Max couldn't help but drool over how handsome Fang always looked in a suit and tie.

"You're staring at me," Fang said, a smug look on his face. She smacked his arm. "Was not."

Fang leaned in and kissed her on the nose. "Was too."

"Could you guys stop that? The food hasn't arrived and I'm about to lose my appetite with your mushy romance." Gazzy complained.

Iggy clutched his stomach. "I can't see them and I'm getting sick."

"You're just jealous Nudge interrupted your kiss with Mackenzie," Max retorted, sticking her tongue in a very mature way at the blind pyro.

"I said I was sorry!" Nudge exclaimed. As the others began to bicker Max leaned over and set her head on Fang's shoulder. "There's still something wrong with that Matt guy. I can sense it."

Fang pet her hair affectionately. "Just relax so we can get this mission over with and get out of here."

Max nodded, but she wondered to herself: What on earth was so important about Item #374?

* * *

**Dun dun dun! Hello my lovelies! What'd you think? Like it, hate it, etc?**

**Thanks to those who followed, faved and reviewed! It made my day!**

**To give you something to wait for, I will confirm that their kiss _is_ in the next chapter! **

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**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

After enjoying the complimentary five-course meal, Mackenzie stood up from her secluded little table and made her way out of the ballroom and into the hallway, doing her best to not draw too much attention to herself. Especially the Flock's attention. Of course, her being the wallflower she was, she managed to trip over her own feet at least twice, knocking over several waiters in the process. One elderly woman had gone as far as to lend Mackenzie her cane. Mackenzie declined politely. By the time she made it out of the ballroom, she was sure she had given at least seven people the content to make a viral video for YouTube. She casually strolled down the empty, wide hallway, searching for the room she had accidentally come across when she was checking out the layout of the building. A room labeled with a sign that said, "**Auction Item Room. EMPLOYEES ONLY.**"

She slipped into the room quietly, making sure to check if anyone was in the room. The room was pitch black and Mackenzie was forced to feel around for a light switch. She finally found what she was looking for and flipped the switch. She was momentarily blinded as the bright fluorescent lights flickered on, revealing to Mackenzie just how large the room actually was. She let out a frustrated sigh, before beginning to rummage through the nearest shelf. Why were there so many items? It's not like anyone bought this useless junk. The workers didn't even bother to organize this room.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are about to start our annual auction. Please prepare your bidding numbers and we will begin shortly." a voice boomed loud and clear through the wall.

Mackenzie muttered a few unladylike words under her breath and almost had a panic attack when she heard another door open. She quickly hid behind a stack of boxes nearby, trying to keep her breathing shallow and movement minimum. Two men came in, wearing the uniform of the other workers she had seen, and lifted one of the large boxes, before carrying it out together, slamming the door behind them, leaving Mackenzie alone with hundreds, possibly thousands of auctions items and her thumping heart. Or she thought. As she once again begin to search through the boxes she had hid behind, a voice sounded from behind her. "You know the boxes are labeled."

Mackenzie jumped in surprise, knocking over the box she had been looking through. Before she possibly destroyed millions of dollars' worth of things, a hand caught the falling box and set it back in its place. She looked up into a pair of pale blue, cloudy eyes. Ones that she had grown fond of.

"Ig- I, uh, Jeff! Right? What brings you here?"

"The boxes. They're labeled." Iggy repeated. Mackenzie turned to examine the boxes and shelves and sure enough, there were little slips of paper taped on them, the one in front of her saying, "Auction Items #730-735". She could feel her face heating up under the multiple layers of foundation at her stupidity.

"How did you know?" She blurted without thinking, "You're blind."

Iggy raised an eyebrow at her. "How'd you know I was blind?"

"Uh…" Mackenzie scrambled her mind for a decent excuse. "Yo-your eyes. They're all clouded and you're not really looking at me."

"Fair enough," Iggy nodded. "There's braille on the labels. And on the sign on the door you snuck in through. I do believe it said, 'Employees Only.'"

Great. Now she had to think of another excuse. Couldn't he give her a break? "I, um, left something important in here. The workers wouldn't let me come back and get it before the banquet so I decided to sneak in. What are you doing here?"

"Mmm…" Iggy turned to read the braille of a nearby box and Mackenzie took the opportunity to sneak past him toward the shelf she had located on the other side of the room, the one with the label reading, "Auction Items #370-380." After successfully making her way over there, she pushed several items aside, revealing a small box, the size of a box that would hold a ring, or charm. Attached to the side of the small box, was a smaller tag that read '#374'. She stuffed the box in the pocket of the shirt under her tuxedo jacket. Just in case.

"No use hiding, Mackenzie," Iggy's voice whispered in her ear, almost giving her another heart attack.

"Dear God!" she exclaimed, spinning around to face him. "Do you have fun scaring others to death?"

Iggy didn't reply. His expression was dead serious. "Do you have fun lying to your friends?"

Mackenzie froze. "Could we take this outside?" she asked weakly. "I don't really want to be caught in here."

He placed his hand on her shoulder, keeping her in such a tight grip that she almost flinched. Almost. "Lead the way."

They left the room that way, her leading them out of the door they had entered from, his hand on her shoulder, not loosening his grip on her even the slightest. The moment they were back in the hallway, he spun her around, and embraced her in a tight hug.

"God, Mackenzie. Do you know how worried I was about you? How worried we were about you?" his voice was choked, as if he was holding back tears and Mackenzie felt a pang of guilt. Here she was, worrying about their safety and doing what she thought was best and she didn't even pause for a second to consider that they were going through the same thing.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked softly, leaning into Iggy's body, placing her head on his shoulder.

"Don't be stupid. I knew it was you the moment you introduced yourself as Matt in that fake baritone. No matter how you disguise your voice, I'll know it's you." he said, stroking her hair with one hand and keeping her close with the other.

"D*mn your advanced hearing skills," she chuckled, holding back tears of her own now. But they were more tears of joy than sadness, because deep down inside, she hadn't realized this until now, but she had been praying that someone from the Flock would realize who Matt really was. 'Uncle' Mark was wrong. She couldn't work alone. Not after the Flock had given her the feeling of belonging. Of love. Of family. Iggy ended the hug and leaned back to look at her, persistence clearly written on his face. "I can't even recall how many times we've been interrupted and you do not want to know what thoughts were running through my head when Nudge barged in on us in the bathroom. But we're alone now and you better prepare yourself, because I am going to kiss you senseless!"

"What's stopping you?" she challenged. And with that, he pulled her in and captured her lips with his. The kiss was hot and passionate, more than anything Mackenzie had expected her first kiss to be. She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself balanced. To say sparks flew would have been the understatement of the century. There was a Fourth of July fireworks show going off in Mackenzie's head. Alarms went off in her mind and she could practically _hear_ Mark scolding her about getting 'distracted' during such an _important_ mission, but she immediately shoved those thoughts outside. When they finally broke away, both of them were breathing hard, Iggy's pupils had dilated and her swollen lips were tingling. The heat of the moment was suddenly interrupted by someone saying, "Oh my god, Iggy. Did you just kiss a guy?!"

* * *

**Well... What did you think? I know the last of Mackenzie's thoughts were a bit overemotional, but I love the last line XD.**

**Tell me what you think. Too cheesy? Or have you all been waiting for that since the first time they met?**

**Thanks to those who reviewed, followed, and favorited! If you're happy and you know it please review! \(^o^)/**

**If you're not happy, review anyway, because I said so. Heehee...**

**Anyone a PJO fan? If you are, go check out a Tratie oneshot I wrote. It's called A Tratie Picnic.**

**Shout out to awesomesaucum who's already read and reviewed the oneshot! Really appreciate it! :)**

**Have a nice Saturday my ugly cupcakes (muffins, that is)!**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Mackenzie jumped back in surprise and turned to find Nudge gaping at them, eyes wide. "Oh my god, is that the guy we met earlier, Matt?"

"No Nudge-"

"_Tiffany._"

"Tiffany, whatever, you don't understand-"

"Oh no, I _totally_ understand. It's not like An-I mean Ariel and I were planning you and you-know-who's wedding. I mean-" she paused mid-rant to look at Mackenzie, "Did you know he has a girlfriend?"

"Nudge!"

"_Tiffany!_"

"Tiffany, dear God, That's not-"

"Really Jeff? It's not what it looked like? A guy! A guy we just met! I mean, it would've been nice if you at least warned us, like come on! What will you-know-who say?! Is coming out that hard?"

"Nudge!"

"_Tiffany._"

"Oh for goodness sakes, I'm **not **gay!"

"Really? Well, I guess I must have been just jumping to conclusions from the way I saw you kissing Matt over there!"

Mackenzie was holding back laughter by the time Iggy let out a frustrated sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "Would you just listen-"

"No! I-Jeff don't you realize you are cheating on Mackenzie-"

"Um, about that," Mackenzie started.

"And you!" Nudge pointed an accusing finger at her, "I was _so_ not expecting you to be gay!"

"Hold on, I-"

"Oh my god!" Nudge covered her mouth with her hand in what seemed to be shock. "Were you hitting on Fang when we first met?"

"What?!" both Iggy and Mackenzie exclaimed.

"No! Of course not!" Mackenzie said, "I bumped into him! And I'm not gay!"

"Nu-Tiffany," Iggy huffed in annoyance, "Why are you here anyway?"

Nudge crossed her arms. "Max sent me to get you. She was afraid you got lost on your way to the bathroom."

Mackenzie raised her eyebrow at Iggy as if to say, _Bathroom?_ He looked away sheepishly.

"And apparently," Nudge continued, "You did get lost…. In some guy's eyes."

"Tiffany!"

She held her hands up. "Hey! It's the truth. Besides, the auction's already started and we have to bid for that one thing. Let's go."

As she turned around and headed back to the ballroom, Iggy leaned over and whispered in Mackenzie's ear, "Are you going to tell then who you are?"

"No," she whispered back softly.

"Why not?"

"I have my reasons."

He nodded. "Okay. Hey Nu-Tiffany!"

Nudge looked back. "What?"

"Don't, uh, tell the Flock about what you saw. I, uh, I want to tell them on my own."

She shrugged and said, "No promises." before skipping back toward the ballroom.

Iggy sighed. "I swear she gets more and more like Max by the day."

Mackenzie chuckled. "We should probably get back before the real Max comes looking for us. She doesn't seem to like 'Matt' that much."

"It's because she knows somethings wrong. Bird-kid instincts and all that." He grabbed a hold of her wrist as she began to follow Nudge back into the ballroom. "Hey hold on."

She turned to look at him. "Yeah?"

He fiddled with his fingers nervously. "You-you won't…"

"Won't what?" she asked.

"You won't leave will you?" he blurted, revealing just how worried about her he was. Her eyes softened a little as she took a hold of his hand. "I don't intend to for the time being."

He seemed to relax, shoulders loosening as he let out a breath of relief. "Good. That's good."

She let a small smile grace her lips. "Come on. Let's go back."

* * *

As they made their way back to the Flock's table, seeing as Mackenzie's table had been taken, Gazzy jumped up from his seat and ran over greet Iggy. "Ig-Jeff! Where have you been! You wouldn't believe it! The bomb we set in the lady's plate of food exploded and she was covered in mashed potatoes when she ran out the room! It was so awesome! Also, the auction's already started and- Oh hi! You're Matt right?"

Max turned at the sound of Mackenzie's fake name and narrowed her eyes at the sight of 'Matt'. "What are you doing here?"

Mackenzie pat Iggy on the back, an excuse already prepared. "Bumped into him in the hallway. He was lost, said he was looking for the restroom."

Max looked to Iggy in confirmation. "That true?"

Iggy, catching onto Mackenzie's white lie, nodded his head sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Yeah. Sorry for worrying you guys. Do you mind if Matt sits with us for a while?"

The others scooted over in their chairs as Mackenzie grabbed a chair from a nearby table and pulled it up next to where Iggy was sitting.

"What were you doing in the auction room anyway?" Iggy murmured softly to her, making sure the Flock wasn't paying attention to them.

"Some stupid mission," she whispered back. "Did you guys get trackers?"

"Trackers?" he asked in confusion. She moved his hand so he could feel the tracker anklet on her ankle. He ran his fingers over the thin scrap of metal, accidentally brushing against the skin of her calf, sending small jolts of electricity up her back. He removed his hand from her ankle and gripped his chin in thought. "Hmm…"

"Anything you can do about it?" she said. He opened his mouth to reply but was cut off when Angel interrupted. "Iggy! Iggy!"

He looked over to where she was sitting. "What?"

Angel looked excited and she bounced up and down in her chair. "Iggy, It's _her. _She's nearby! I can-" she looked at Mackenzie skeptically. "I know it."

Mackenzie's eyes widened, before quickly throwing up a mind block. Crap! How had she so easily forgotten about Angel's mind reading skills? Max had spun around in her chair. "Seriously Ariel? Is she in this room?"

Gazzy looked at Iggy, eyes bright. "Iggy, isn't this great? We can find her!"

Iggy tossed a nervous glance at Mackenzie before nodding as enthusiastically as he could. "Yeah _Zephyr_, it's great."

Gazzy and Angel's eyes widened as they realized they had revealed Iggy's real name to Matt. "Uh…"

"Oh cool!" Mackenzie exclaimed in fake excitement as she looked at Iggy. "Your nickname's Iggy?"

The two siblings seemed to relax as Iggy went along with the act, nodding his head. "Yeah."

Max looked at Nudge. "Tiffany, you've been almost as quiet as Nick. What's wrong?"

The oddly silent chatterbox crossed her arms and said, "Nothing. I'm just worried about Mackenzie." before sending a pointed look at Iggy. Max caught this before looking at Iggy, an eyebrow raised. He shrugged in reply.

"I…" Angel started, her bottom lip trembling. The others turned to look at her. "I lost her."

"What?!" Max suddenly stood up, scanning the room. "She has to be here. She has to. An-Ariel, try harder."

Iggy turned to Mackenzie. "Why don't you-"

"No," she replied in a harsh whisper. "Not yet."

"They're going to find out sooner or later."

"I know, but-"

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN WE HAVE ARRIVED TO AUCTION NUMBER 374. WE WILL START AT ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS. ANY OFFERS?"

Mackenzie's jaw almost dropped at the number of hands and signs that shot up, one that included the Flock's. Mark had been right. A lot of people wanted whatever item she had just stolen from the auction room. Which meant if they found out who took it, she was dead. She had to get out of here. Fast.

* * *

**Ugh. State testing is the worse. Plus I have like four math exams... Sigh... Why don't we have more breaks?**

**Yeah, I know it's not a good excuse, but testing is slowing my mind flowing process a little bit. ****Why doesn't summer come faster?**

**Anyhoo, hope you enjoyed! Thanks to those who followed, favorited, and reviewed. You guys make my day!**

**Please review and give feedback about how the story's going. I'm not really sure where I want to go after this... Gimme inspiration! ^_^**

**Hope you guys survive the last few weeks of school and ****Happy Friday!**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"Crap. Crap crap crap." She muttered to herself as she fumbled for the small box cleverly concealed in the inside of the tuxedo jacket. Everyone in the Flock was focused on the stage, where the bids had already reached over ten thousand dollars. She quickly slipped the box into her hand under the table. Casually leaning back into her chair so she could look at the contents inside the box but not look suspicious, she quickly lifted the lid and dumped its the contents into her hand. She was shocked find what seemed to be an ordinary ring. It was a silver band, no fancy jewels on it, there were something etched into the silver but the words were too small for her to read. Other than that, it was quite a nice ring. She shrugged and slipped it on her index finger. Not bad. She quickly closed the now empty box and slipped it into her pocket. She would have to get rid of this box before she was caught. She pushed her chair back and stood up, drawing the attention of several people in the Flock. She pat her stomach and gave a nervous smile. "I guess I ate a little too much. I'm gonna take a walk around the area, okay? Be right back."

"Wait!" Nudge got up as well, "I'll join you."

"Um, okay?"

"Great! Let's go!"

They weaved through tables and people, just walking around. It wasn't long before Mackenzie 'accidentally' bumped into someone else and slipped the box in their pocket. As she walked away from the unlucky fellow, she let out an enormous breath of relief, which was soon cut off short, as Nudge began to speak, reminding Mackenzie of her presence.

"Listen here and listen well, Matt. I love Iggy, or Jeff, or whatever. He's like a brother to me. And he's obviously….confused with some things in his life. Now, don't get the wrong idea or anything. If you're looking for a relationship or anything like that, Jeff is NOT the guy for you, okay? He already has someone else. A _girl._ And they're totally gonna become girlfriend and boyfriend and marry and have a bunch of babies and they'll be together forever and I'm sorry but you guys weren't meant to be." Nudge was breathing hard from her rant, while Mackenzie was doing her best to choke down her laughter.

"I-" Mackenzie cleared her throat, "I understand. But you should know that Iggy and I didn't kiss."

_Liar, _her inner voice said in her mind, _You two did kiss. And it was one heck of a kiss. You first one too._

_ Not helping! _She replied to herself angrily.

Nudge sent her a skeptical look. "You didn't? A kiss is-"

"I know, I know. I'm not that stupid. We were, uh, well, I got some sauce on my shirt. And he was helping me get it off. That's why I was in the bathroom."

"So you're not gay?" Nudge asked. Mackenzie shook her head. "I really hope not."

By the time they returned to the table, the bidding for Item #374 had already passed two million. Mackenzie gulped. _Thank god I got rid of the box. But if they somehow trace it back to me, I'm so screwed._

"So," a voice whispered in her ear, "What'd you two talk about on your little stroll?"

She froze, but relaxed once realizing who it was. "She was just warning Matt away from you that's all."

He groaned. "She still thinks I'm gay?"

She raised her hand to pat him on the head, but decided against it when she saw Nudge glance at them suspiciously.

She turned to Iggy. "Do you guys really have enough money to buy whatever this is? The biddings past two million and I don't think some of the others are planning on giving up so soon."

"We have the money," he whispered back, "Jeb just told us to get it at any costs."

"Why does the School want it so bad?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. But the joke's on them."

"Why?"

He winked. "You'll see."

"Bidder Number 57 has bid 3.5 million dollars. Are there any more offers?"

Max stood up, waving her bidding sign, 83. "I would like to bid 50 million dollars."

Mackenzie was sure that every jaw dropped, including hers. She looked to the rest of the Flock, who all seemed to be holding back laughter. Iggy whispered to her between gasps of breath. "Might as well make those jerks pay. Literally."

She just shook her head in amusement. "You guys…"

Once the shocked atmosphere faded, the host looked back at Max. "Uh, ma'am, would you mind repeating your offer again?"

Max crossed her arms. "I offered fifty million dollars." She annunciated the words 'fifty million dollars' slowly as if talking to a child and Mackenzie could see the host's humiliated expression. The host cleared his throat before continuing. "Bidder Number 83 has bid 50 million dollars. Are there any more offers?"

The entire room was silent. "Going once, going twice…"

"One hundred million dollars." A man at a nearby table stood up. Mackenzie didn't recognize him as one of the people who had bid on the item before, but the way he acted and what he wore screamed, '**FILTHY RICH**'. He sent Max a smirk, which she returned with a glare.

"Two hundred million."

"Three hundred million."

"Four hundred million."

"Five hundred million."

Everyone watched in awe as the rich man and Max bid higher and higher. Out of the corner of her eye, Mackenzie spotted a man decked out in the tower's employee uniform hurry on stage and whisper something in the host's ear. She fidgeted in her seat, knowing what was about to happen. _Stay calm, stay calm. Breathe in and out._

Max and the man's bidding was interrupted as the host announced what Mackenzie had been anticipating from the moment she stepped back in the ballroom. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have some shocking news. Auction Item #374 has been stolen."

That's when all hell broke loose.

* * *

**Oh my gods I'm such a butthole! Two weeks! I haven't updated Up In Flames for two weeks! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! m(_ _)m**

**I know it's no excuse but these last two weeks were my last two week in schools, and I just graduated! However, I DID update on Fanfiction (I'm not THAT much of a slacker.. Okay, maybe I am but still...). I just started a multiple oneshot Percabeth story called Romeo and Cinderella and posted it last week, so if you ship Percabeth or like PJO in general or are just looking for a cute oneshot to read every once in a while, I would definitely recommend it. I won't update on it as often as I do for Up In Flames, but I'll at least have a new chapter every month.**

**Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. If you did, please review, fave and follow! ^_^**

**Have an awesome summer and stay amazing!**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Before Mackenzie could even blink, pandemonium struck the room. Security guards flooded the room, blocking all exits. People jumped out of their seats in panic. An entire room of auctioneers was in complete chaos over one tiny item. If she wasn't in so much danger of being caught, she would've laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation. She had to hurry and escape. She quickly scrambled out of her seat and started to make her way into the crowds of people all spread out on the ballroom floor, only to have a hand grab her wrist in an iron grip. She turned to find Iggy looking at her, an eyebrow raised. "Where do you think you're going?"

She felt her cheeks flame up in embarrassment as she realized that she had almost ditched him right after promising she wouldn't. "Whoops."

He let out an exasperated sigh. "I swear, I need to get you a leash. You always take off before I even react. What did the School tell you to do to get you in such a hurry?"

She searched her brain for a distraction. "We should get out of here before we're discovered or something."

He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by another voice. "Iggy! C'mon!" It was the Flock. They were beckoning to him. He pulled Mackenzie over there with him through the throngs of people. As they met up with the rest of the Flock, they seemed surprised to see her with Iggy.

"Iggy, why'd you bring him over here?" Max looked at Mackenzie. "No offense."

"None taken." she replied.

"Who do you think took the item?" Gazzy asked. Max shrugged. "Dunno, but whoever it is, we're going to catch them."

"Why?" Mackenzie blurted without thinking.

Max's sharp gaze fixed on her. "Why what?"

"I-I was just wondering why you guys need that item, that's all," Mackenzie cursed herself for sounding suspicious.

"Why do you care?" Max replied smoothly as she looked into the crowd, as if searching for someone. "Found him."

Everyone in the Flock and Mackenzie seemed surprised at her sudden comment. "What?"

Max pointed into the crowd. "Over there. That guy looks like he has something."

Mackenzie's eyes followed the direction Max was pointing in and gulped. Almost immediately, with hawk-like senses, Max had spotted the poor man who she had placed the box on. His gaze flitted around nervously, and it was obvious he was hiding something. Mackenzie wanted to groan out loud. Why did she have to choose someone so simple-minded and easy to read? What type of luck was this?! Max started towards him. "Come on. We have to get to him before he tries to escape."

The Flock immediately followed and Mackenzie felt herself getting pulled along by Iggy.

As they pushed their way through the crowd to the man Max had suspected, out of the corner of her eye, Mackenzie spotted a group of men dressed in all black coming towards them. Decked out in black suits and ties, as well as wearing a pair of black sunglasses (indoors; a total douchebag move), a group of 8 to 10 men in a tightly packed clump quickly walked from a corner of the ballroom towards, not the man that Max was after, but Max herself as well as the Flock. Another glance told her that they all carrying a gun in their pocket. They were in serious danger.

"Max!" she called out in her normal voice, surprising everyone in the Flock except for Iggy. Max turned to look at her, the shock and confusion evident on her face. "Macken-"

"Yes it's me! No time to explain we have to get out of here!" Mackenzie pointed in the direction of the group of men getting closer and closer to them. Max looked a little skeptical but her expression immediately turned serious when she spotted the men making their way toward them.

"Okay guys!" she barked. "Scatter and meet back on level R! Nudge with Fang! Gazzy with Iggy! Angel and Mackenzie with me! Make sure those guys in black don't catch you, got it? Go go go!"

With reaction skills faster than Mackenzie had ever seen, all the Flock split up in small groups and maneuvered out of the room. With lightning quick speed, Max grabbed her hand and she was dashing through the hallway with Max and Angel. She heard fast paced footsteps and gunfire behind them and didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"They're gaining!" she panted from the running.

"Not for long," Max breathed. They rounded a sharp corner, the men still barely keeping up. Suddenly, Max began sprinting, one hand holding Mackenzie and the other gripping Angel. Mackenzie felt the wind rush past her ears and the scene in front of her blurred. Before she could even blink, they were on a completely different floor, the same floor where she had hidden her duffel bag of stuff before the auction had started. She let go of Max's hand and head over to the vent opening behind a fake plant.

"Mackenzie, what are you doing?"

"Gimme a moment," she murmured as she stuck her arm inside the vent, feeling around until her hand hit the bag. "Here it is."

She pulled the bag out and slung it over her shoulder, turning around to find Max and Angel staring at her. "What?"

"It's-" Max started, "it's just…"

"Why did you dress up as a guy and fool us into thinking you were some suspicious and possibly gay guy named Matt?" Angel asked. At Mackenzie's shocked expression when she had mentioned the word 'gay', Angel merely replied, "Nudge's thoughts are extremely loud."

"I was going to first ask her what she was doing here, but that works too." Max said.

"I'll explain it when we meet up with the rest of the Flock. Where is level R anyway?" Mackenzie asked. Max waved her hand around. "Oh that. That was just codename for the roof. Our best chance of escape would be with our wings, after all."

"Who do you think those guys in black were?"

Max simply shrugged. "Dunno, but they were definitely bad news. Does Iggy know you're Mackenzie?"

Mackenzie scratched her head sheepishly. "Yeah. That's kind of why Nudge got the idea that 'Matt' and Iggy were gay."

Angel clapped her hands together while jumping up and down, a large smile evident on her face. "You guys kissed, didn't you?!"

"I-we-um-" Mackenzie stuttered, her face feeling hotter by the second. Thankfully, Max came to her rescue. "We should get to the roof. The others maybe waiting for us, and those guys are still looking for us."

After sending a silent thanks to Max, Mackenzie said, "You guys go ahead. I want to change back into normal clothes and take this itchy wig off. I'll meet you all on 'level R'."

Max and Angel looked doubtful. "You're not trying to give us a reason to leave you alone and then escape or something are you?"

Mackenzie rolled her eyes. "You guys and your suspicion. I already promised Iggy that I wouldn't ditch you guys without telling you first. I give you my word as a flying mutant kid-person-thing."

"What if those guys show up?" Angel asked, worry in her eyes. Mackenzie gave a half smile and ruffled her hair. "You think I would let them get me?"

Max patted her on the back. "Okay, we'll see you up on the roof in a while. You better not take as long as Nudge to change or else we're all screwed."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

After rubbing the nasty foundation off her skin and changing clothes, as well as removing the wig and putting her hair back in its usual bun, Mackenzie stealthily and carefully made her way to the roof, where she found the rest of the Flock waiting. At the sound of her light and almost silent footsteps, Iggy seemed to perk up. "Mackenzie? It's Mackenzie right?"

"It's me," she replied. "Sorry to keep you guys waiting."

"It's fine," Max said. "Nudge and Fang got here a minute or two ago."

"It's because we caught one of the men in black-Hey! That's a movie! Anyway, we caught one of them alone and disarmed him and stuff. Then we decided to question him and I suggested that we do that 'good cop, bad cop' routine, except Fang didn't say anything the entire tine, so I had to be both the cops, but in the end, the guy didn't fall for the routine so Fang just gave him a black eye, but when he still didn't say anything, I kicked him in between the legs and he just started spewing out information like there was no tomorrow. Based on what he said, I don't think he's from the School, but who else could it be and why would they send people after us when we're supposed to get that auction item for them? Oh yeah, Mackenzie why are you here?"

Gazzy swatted her shoulder. "She was Matt you idiot."

"I am not an- Ohmygosh! You were Matt?! Why didn't you tell me?! I've been seriously questioning Iggy's sexuality for the past 20 minutes, only to find out this whole thing is a misunderstanding?" Nudge turned and smacked Iggy upside the head. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Ow! I did tell you! Multiple times! What part of 'I'm not gay' did you not get?!"

"What was I supposed to do?! It totally looked like you were kissing a guy!"

"Wait," Angel interrupted the argument, "So they did kiss?"

An awkward silence filled the air as Mackenzie did her best to avoid eye contact with Iggy, cheeks pink.

"Aw come on!" the Gasman exclaimed. "You should've at least waited until we got a chance to bet on it!"

Others chimed in as they claimed that they would've totally won if they had betted on it. Max let out a piercing whistle to get everyone's attention. "Guys! Let's head to a safer location so Mackenzie can explain her situation. We can always bet on their first date. Up and away."

As they flew away from the city area, Mackenzie said to Max, "Thanks for getting me out of that awkward situation."

"It's cool," she replied, "You have no idea what those little devils put me through after they found out Fang and I kissed."

Mackenzie chuckled. "I can only imagine the torture that went on when that happened."

"Most of it was Iggy."

"Oh," was all Mackenzie said, but inside she was thinking, _CRAP!_ "I guess it's only natural you tease him now about…. That."

Max laughed and nudged Mackenzie with her elbow, "Don't worry. I'll do my best to keep you out of the crossfire. It's your boyfriend I'm after."

"We're not-"

"Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say. But really, how'd you get here? And why didn't you tell us who you were?"

Mackenzie fidgeted and played with her fingers. "Well, I just kind of… Woke up here, in this city. And to tell you the truth, I think we were given the same mission."

Max quickly turned to look at her. "Wait, you were-"

"Told to get Auction Item #374. Yeah. And I was the one who stole it."

"Then why did that man across the room seem so suspicious."

Mackenzie rubbed the back of her neck. "I…. may have planted it on him when Nudge and I went on that walk."

Max snorted. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Sorry for not revealing who I was. I was just kind of…"

"I understand. Sorry for being so cold to you, by the way."

"Max apologizing? Who are you and what have you done with the real Max?" Iggy said as he gently flew over to them, a smirk on his face, with Fang beside him.

"I wouldn't look so smug if I were you," Max snapped, "I was just about to tell Mackenzie all about your popularity with those girls at that middle school Anne sent us to."

Iggy's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare-"

"He would use his blindness to feel up other girls and-"

Iggy grabbed Mackenzie's hand and dragged her away from Max. "LA LA LA! We can't hear you!"

* * *

Once they were a pretty far distance away from the Flock, but still able to see them, Iggy stopped making random noises and they flew in silence, Iggy not letting go of her hand. He finally broke the silence by saying, "I never wanted to be blind."

"Of course you didn't."

"It just kind of happened, you know? Sort of like when you think you're just going to fart, but you end up crapping your pants."

Mackenzie laughed. "That wasn't the best comparison, but okay."

Iggy suddenly stopped moving forward and turned to face Mackenzie, flapping his wings in place. He leaned in, and with the hand that wasn't holding onto Mackenzie's hand, he caressed her cheek. "I really wish I could see what you look like."

Mackenzie felt a blush spread across her cheeks as she asked, "Why?"

"You know what I look like, but I don't know what you look like. I only remember the Flock from back when I could see. I only know you by your voice and your scent."

"Isn't that enough?" Mackenzie asked softly.

"I- I just feel so useless sometimes. I always have to have Gazzy explain how something looks like and even when I'm fighting with Max, she has to tell me she's rolling her eyes at me! What good am I to anyone when I don't even know what the girl I like looks like?" Iggy threw both his hands up in the air.

Mackenzie took Iggy's hand, the one she had been holding before, and firmly said, "Iggy, you're a great guy. One of the greatest things about blind people is they don't judge by looks, and you don't'. Sure, I know what you look like, but that doesn't matter. I know you for being an amazing chef and a pyromaniac. I know you for being that guy that can make me laugh, even when I'm down. I know you for being practically a brother to Gazzy, who really loves you a lot. You may not be able to see with your eyes, but see that you're worth much more than you think."

Iggy smiled warmly at her, and she felt butterflies in her stomach. "Thanks Mackenzie. But can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What's this ring doing on your finger?" He held up her hand, the one he had been holding and she realized that it was the hand that she put the ring on earlier.

"Err… Would you believe me if I said that was Auction Item #374?"

* * *

**... Words do not describe how bad I feel about updating so late. Which is why, in the midst of my guilt, I decided to write about 1000 more words than usual.**

**Btw, to all my Tratie shippers, I posted another Tratie fanfic like, last week, so you can check it out if you want.**

**Thanks to everyone for sticking with my story even though I haven't been updating as often! Please follow, favorite, or review if you gotz the time or you wanna say something! ^_^**

**Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed.**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**

**P.S. After this week, for the next three weeks, I'll be at a summer camp, so the chances of me updating are slim, but we'll see!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"So... That's the thing the School wanted us to get?" Gazzy asked. Mackenzie nodded in reply. The sun had set for some time and she and the Flock had found an open field to rest in. Using a flashlight from Fang's handy backpack, Mackenzie had shown them the ring on her finger and explained what had happened since she woke up on the random roof. Everyone laughed when she got to the part about how Nudge asked if Iggy was gay.

"He was kissing someone who I thought was a guy?! What was I supposed to think, they were giving mouth-to-mouth?" Nudge protested.

Mackenzie was choking back laughter and trying her best to catch her breath when Max asked her, "Can I take a look at it for a moment?"

"Sure." She grabbed the ring and tugged. Nothing. She pulled harder. The ring didn't budge. She looked up sheepishly at Fang. "Hehe… You wouldn't happen to have a stick of butter in that bag of yours, would you?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Sorry."

"I do." Gazzy pulled a small package of butter that had been on the table in the ballroom for the dinner rolls and held it out to Mackenzie, who just stared at him. "Here."

"Has that been in your pocket since dinner?" Max asked. Gazzy nodded proudly and Max turned to Fang. "We should do health inspections more often."

After unwrapping the butter, Max smeared it over Mackenzie's finger and tried pulling the ring off again. All she got was the sound of Mackenzie's finger popping. Iggy, startled by the popping sound, quickly snapped his head toward the direction of the sound. "What was that?"

"My finger popped." Mackenzie said as Max grunted and pulled harder.

"Ow!" Max suddenly pulled back her hand. Fang was immediately by her side. "What's wrong?"

Max blew on her hand. "The ring… it…burned me."

The moment the words left her mouth, Mackenzie felt a wash of guilt and staggered backwards. She looked down at her hand, and sure enough, the butter on her finger had begun to bubble and boil on her finger, but she felt no pain at all. Just like all the other accidents. She looked up at the Flock, shock and horror clearly etched on her face. "I-I'm so sorry Max. It wasn't on purpose, I swear, and-"

She paused, and let what had just happened all sink in. Why did this always happen to her? The moment she became closer to others, she hurt them. Was this her fate? To be alone for the rest of her life to avoid hurting others? "_Solitude would do you good._" Mark's words from before rang through her head. She squat down and tucked her head behind her knees, holding back her anger and frustration. Why couldn't she do anything right? Now the stupid ring wouldn't come off and she was becoming more and more of a danger to the Flock. She felt Iggy's arms wrap around her and immediately tried to pull away. "No! Be careful! I could burn you! Don't you care about your safety? I should just turn myself in to the freaking fire department!"

He didn't say anything, only rocked her back and forth in his arms with one hand stroking her hair, and she could hear Max whisper to the rest of the Flock to give them some space. The flapping of wings let her know they were gone, and she decided to speak.

"I did it again."

"I know."

"It's all my fault."

"No. It was the ring."

"I hurt Max."

"She's had worse."

She exploded. "How could you? How could you defend me so easily after knowing Max since you were in diapers? Don't you care that she's hurt at all?"

A tear slid down her cheek and Iggy immediately wiped it away. "Max has Fang, but who will care for you when you're hurt?"

"I can take care of myself."

"Then why can't Max?"

"She's your family! When a bad person harms her, you should protect her."

"You're not a bad person."

"She should be important to you!"

"So are you."

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Why can't you see that I could hurt you in the end?

"Why don't you see that I don't care about that?!" he pressed his lips to her forehead. Out of nowhere, he said, "I love you."

She froze, unsure of what to do and say. Her silence made him begin babbling. "You don't have to say it back. I just wanted to let you know, I mean we haven't been together for that long and everything, but I've really never felt this way before and-"

She cut him off by pecking him on the lips. "I do too. Love you, I mean."

His face spread out into a smile that would've made the Cheshire Cat jealous as he suddenly stood up and picked her up and spun her around in a circle.

"Iggy! Wah! Don't! Put me down! You're tickling me! Stop!"

After he finally put her down, she whacked his arm.

"Hey! What was that for?!"

"Don't do that again! I'm extremely ticklish!"

"Well it seems like you've made up quite easily then." Max commented as she and the rest of the Flock landed back on the forest floor. She didn't seem in pain, but her hand was red And Mackenzie felt bad. "Max, I really am sorry about your hand. I didn't-"

"I know. It's fine Mackenzie. It was obviously the ring. Don't feel bad for something that wasn't your fault. All that's left is to find out why the School wants the ring so bad."

A sudden humming and buzzing sound filled the air and Mackenzie felt the ring on her hand shake.

"Max! Mackenzie!" Angel gasped as she pointed to Mackenzie's hand. And looking down, Mackenzie was shocked to find that the ring wasn't only shaking and buzzing.

The ring was glowing.

* * *

**How's it hangin' chickadees? It's summer and I'm taking slower than usual to update... Sowwy m(_ _)m**

**So, for the next three weeks, I'll be at a computer-less camp and can't update, so I rushed to update before I leave to let you know there won't be an update for around a month.**

**Thanks for all the support I've been getting! If you enjoyed, please follow, favorite and review! ^_^**

**Have a great summer and don't talk to strangers!**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Uh, Mackenzie? Your hand is starting to-"

"I know."

"Yeah. You should probably do something about that."

"What happened?" Iggy asked.

"Mackenzie's hand is glowing!" Angel exclaimed.

"It's not my hand! It's the ring!" Mackenzie exclaimed. "I don't know what it's doing!"

"Are you hurt? Are you okay?" Iggy took her hand and felt the ring, which was still as bright as a light bulb.

"Geez Iggy," the Gasman snickered, "If you wanted to hold her hand, you could've just asked."

"Shaddup Gazzy." Iggy said, but he didn't let go of her hand.

"Both of you stop it." Max scolded. She looked at Mackenzie. "Do you feel anything?"

"No," Mackenzie replied, "It feels normal, like a regular ring."

"It obviously isn't." Nudge commented.

"Nudge I think that's one of the shortest sentences I've heard you say since forever." Gazzy said.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Suddenly, the ring began to feel warm on her finger on Mackenzie's finger and Iggy seemed to have felt it too. He let go in surprise and said, "The ring's getting warmer."

Max stepped forward and reached for Mackenzie's hand but before she could, she pulled away. "I can feel the heat waves coming off your hand. Mackenzie, can't you feel it?"

Mackenzie opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Angel's scream. The entire Flock turned to see a pack of Erasers emerging from the trees, led by one Max seemed to recognize.

"Ari," she snarled. The Eraser she called Ari threw her a wolfish grin. "Max. Long time no see, sis."

Mackenzie blinked in surprise. Sis? She looked at Max, who just scowled and crossed her arms. "Don't remind me, Ari. What did the School tell you to do this time?"

Ari's eyes flashed with annoyance. "They didn't _tell_ me to do anything. I was assigned to bring you back, because I'm sure that you did what you were told to do. Besides, I couldn't miss out on a chance to see my big _sister_ now could I?"

"Wait," Mackenzie interrupted, "Max, you have a brother? And he's an Eraser?!"

Max sighed. "Sadly."

After her interruption, Ari seemed to have noticed Mackenzie. "Ah there she is. Just hand over the thing you got from the auction and we'll just take your little friend and go."

"Like hell you will," Iggy snapped. "You can have the ring, but you're not taking Mackenzie."

Ari's smug smile grew even wider. "So it's true. The blind pyro's got a little crush, doesn't he?"

"Just take the ring and let us off, would you Ari?" Max requested.

Ari shook his head. "No can do." And with that, he charged at Mackenzie. The rest of the Erasers followed, and soon, everyone was fighting. Almost immediately, she was surrounded by a large group of Erasers, but the ring still seemed to be radiating waves of intense heat, thought she didn't feel anything, because they only circled around her, keeping a good amount of distance away from them.

"Mackenzie!" Max barked, as she fought hand to hand combat with Ari. "Up and away! Get out of here! We'll hold them off!"

"Oh no you don't!" Ari roared, grabbing a remote from his pocket and pressing a button. Mackenzie felt a shock course through her entire body and fell down in surprise. She cursed. She had forgotten about the stupid anklet! She stood back up, only to feel another course of electricity shock her. Why did these jerks always shock her?! First, at the Lab, then at the School and now this stupid Eraser. She could feel the anger build up inside her, but she held it in. She didn't want it to end like it had at the ice cream parlor. She closed her eyes, concentrating on her rage and holding it down, controlling it. However, before she could do anything else, a white light shined through her eyelids, and she opened her eyes to a blinding ray of light shining from her ring.

Everyone had stop fighting, and they were only faint outlines through the wall of light surrounding Mackenzie. Their voices were becoming harder and harder to hear, almost whispers and a buzzing noise filled her ears. An overwhelming sensation went through Mackenzie, and she let the light overtake her, bringing her to somewhere unknown.

* * *

**...I'm so sorry. I know that I should've updated sooner, but I'm at a three week college camp, so all I can do is pray that you're still reading this story m(_ _)m**

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. This chapter's a little short, but I'll try to make the next on longer. I'm planning on ending it soon so be prepared! I didn't want to drag it out too long because I know the story won't be good that way.**

**Anyhoo, please follow, favorite, review, all that jazz. ^_^.**

**Hope you guys are having an AWESOME summer!**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"It took her longer than we expected to activate the ring."

"Hush, she's stirring."

"Took her long enough."

"Shhhh."

Mackenzie's eyes fluttered open, only to be blinded by a bright glow. She squinted, only to see two outlines in the hazy glimmer.

"Where-" she croaked, "where am I?"

"You are inside the Ring of Ignatious."

"The huh?" Mackenzie raised a hand over her eyes as she sat up, in order to see the two figures better, but it didn't seem to help. It was hot, even with her powers, and Mackenzie could feel the flames all around her. One of the figures seemed to be the outline of a man, while the other seemed tiny in comparison, and floating off the ground. "Who are you guys, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell?"

"The nerve!" the smaller figure cried. "Incienda, I cannot believe that Master Ignatious would choose someone so ignorant and ridiculous to carry the honor of using this ring!"

"Be quiet Flammas," the other figure scolded, "Master always has a reason for his decisions."

"Um," Mackenzie said, "could someone tell me what's going on?"

"Of course," the 'Peter Pan' of the duo, Incienda, replied, "You are currently in the ring of Ignatious, the ring that you wore on your finger. On a very rare occurrence, our Master, the almighty and powerful Ignatious selects a patron to bear the power of fire and flames. Once the patron finds the ring of Ignatious and activates it, they will be granted three wishes from the Master himself, similar to a genie, only the person must be chosen beforehand. Many believe that they can activate the ring, which is why it is in such high demand. It is also why the Master must choose wisely when deciding his patron, and apparently he has selected you."

Mackenzie was sure that her face wore a blank expression at the moment. A patron? Was it because of the Lab? Is that why the School wanted her to get this ring at all costs? And why did the Master person's name remind her so much of Iggy? Iggy and the rest of the Flock! She had almost forgotten in her confusion!

"What happened to the people around me when I activated the ring?" she asked frantically. "Are they okay?"

"They are fine," the figure named Flammas said, "We moved them to another location out of danger."

She let out a breath of relief. "Thank you."

"Yeah yeah, now would you hurry and make your wishes already?"

"Flammas," a new voice scolded, "what have I told about scaring the patrons?"

"Master!" Both the two outlines bowed from the waist as a new figure entered her vision. It turned to her, the outline of a man, and Mackenzie was immediately filled with shock and nostalgia at the sight of an outline of a man with a slender and lean, tall build, similar to Iggy's.

"Iggy?!"

"You dare call the Master by a nickname?!" Flammas screeched.

"No, I meant-"

"Flammas, let it be." the man whom they called 'Master' said, "You two, please give us some privacy, I would like to discuss something with Miss Mackenzie alone."

Despite the fact that he had politely asked for the two to leave, his commanding and firm tone left no room for discussion of whether or not Peter Pan and Tinkerbell wanted to stay. They merely bowed once again, saying "Yes Master", before vanishing in the flames. The figure turned toward her.

"I know you are probably finding this hard to believe right now, Mackenzie."

"It's fine," Mackenzie muttered as she rubbed her forehead, "a lot of weird things have been happening this week. Have hallucinations in a room of fire was bound to be one of them."

The Master chuckled. "I'm glad I chose a patron with humor. The past few were too terrified to say anything. My, has the world changed since I left."

"Just a question, how old are you exactly? If you don't mind telling."

He waved a hand in front of his face. "Nonsense. I can't tell you the exact number, but long enough to make your head spin, that's for sure."

"You really do sound like Iggy," she muttered more to herself that anyone else. However, the 'Master' heard her and replied, "Ah, yes. How is my descendant doing?"

Mackenzie could only sit there and gape. "Say what?"

"Well I was sure it would be obvious by now. I am who you call 'Iggy's ancestor. You two were fated: you as my patron and him as my descendant."

She froze. "Wait. Does that mean that our entire relationship was all set up?"

"Oh heavens no. Of course not. Fate isn't that cruel. Your lives were simply destined to cross paths. What you did with them was up to you. Falling in love with each other was on your own part."

She began to interject at the last sentence. "We're not-"

Master Ignatious waved his hand around. "Don't be ridiculous. There's no doubt that you two are hopelessly in love. Which is why what I am about to tell you just breaks my heart."

"What do you mean by-"

The Master cut her off, a solemn and sad look in his eyes. "You see, to most people, being granted three wishes of their desire seems like all they have dreamed for. However, it is also a curse. After I grant three of your wishes, I will have to take away what is most important to you."

Mackenzie took a deep breath, taking in all this information. With this, she could change the world, get rid of the School and other places like that for good, save children from a future like hers for good. But was she willing to give up what was most important to her? "I…. I understand. And I think I am ready to make my wishes."

Master Ignatious nodded his head. "Very well. Let's begin."

"Uh, I hope you don't mind," she interjected, "if I make a request."

"Of course."

She looked down, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Before you, uh, take away what's most important to me, let me get a chance to talk to the Flock. Just a few minutes will be fine. I know there's a chance I might not be able to see them after this."

Ignatious's smile was sad. "I don't mind at all. How did you already figure out what was most important to you?"

"I…" she blushed, "My time with them, with _him_, it's been more than I ever hoped for. I know I'll never find a family like them ever again. They healed my pain and scars from the past, and I just have a feeling that after I make my wishes, I'm going to lose them."

She decided to stop talking and change the subject. "So, I've decided. My first wish is to get rid of the School and any places that have done horrible experiments like this all over the world. Max tells me the company's name is Itex. Please get rid of that place. Forever."

The room of fire seemed to get warmer as the flames flickered higher, before settling down again as Ignatious said, "Your first wish has been granted."

She let out a small smile, the worst of her weight lifted off her shoulders. "Thank you. My second wish is… that any and all children or humans in general that were experimented on or turned into mutants have the chance to undo those things and have the chance to live like a normal person. Like if they had wings like I do, and don't want them, they can be rid of them forever and live the life they want to." She remembered the pain and frustration that the V had suffered in the Lab. She had been raised in the Lab, never seeing outside until the fire, but the rest of the V, they had had lives outside of the Lab before her, lives they had all planned on returning to, until the fire killed them. She held back the stinging tears of old memories. They would be proud of her now, saving and preventing kids from suffering the experiments and abuse they had.

"Your second wish has been granted."

Mackenzie inhaled deeply. She had been considering her third wish for a while. Although her first two wishes were selfless, they were also a little selfish, concerning only the problems she had dealt with in life. But she wanted her last wish to be personal and truly from her heart. "My last wish….. is to give Iggy and all other blind people back their sight, as well as deaf people the ability to hear, and mutes their voice. They have lived so long in the dark, in more ways than one, and I want to give them another chance to truly be able to live."

Ignatious's eyes shone with respect and approval as he said for the last time, "Your wish has been granted. I am proud to have chosen you as my patron. You have truly help our world. I have not forgotten your request. However, you do not have much time before what you treasure the most is taken, so I suggest you speak quickly."

And with that, Master Ignatious's outline vanished, only to be replaced with six familiar figures.

"Iggy!" she cried. "Max, Fang, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, Total! Are you all okay?"

"Mackenzie?!" came the chorused response.

"Is that you? Is it really you?" Max asked.

"Where are we?" Angel asked, "And why is it so hot?"

"We're in that freakish ring from the auction. Apparently it's magical or whatever and it's the ring of a man called Master Ignatious, who apparently is also Iggy's ancestor." She explained a little more, including the three wishes she made and how whatever was most important to her would be taken away from her. Throughout this quick explanation, Iggy was dead silent the entire time.

Mackenzie saw Gazzy's outline nudge Iggy's. "Dude, say something."

Iggy's voice was hoarse as he spoke. "You… You wished for my sight back."

She nodded. "I couldn't stand watching you suffer in darkness anymore. You didn't deserve it."

"Yet, you don't deserve having what's most important to you being taken away from you, do you?!" he all of a sudden yelled. "Why do you have to be the one to take away everyone's pain, only to suffer it all yourself?! What happened to me is done, but you're about to lose what you treasure the most! Are you okay with that?! I would've rather continued to be blind and be with you then to have you sacrifice all this by yourself."

Mackenzie could feel the cool, salty tears slide down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Iggy. But this was my destiny. Just like falling in love with you. It just happened."

"You….love me?"

"Yeah, I guess I do. It's kind of a bad time to do this, but after everything we've been through, I've fallen in love for you. Kinda cliché since in the beginning, I wasn't sure if I could trust you at all. I just wanted to let you know before I go, because the thing I treasure the most, is my time with you all. They're going to take my memory of my time with you guys away, so I'm trusting you to find me Iggy, or I'll kick your skinny butt to hell, got that?"

"Mackenzie, don't! I love you! I can't lose you!" he sobbed.

"What's done is done. Max, make sure the poor idiot doesn't kill himself. Nudge, try to babble less and live the life you want to. Fang, take care of Max and Iggy for me. Gazzy, don't eat too much Mexican. Angel, have fun while you're still young and don't let anyone put you down."

She could feel her head start spinning and the images of the Flock in her mind were becoming blurry. She remembered the Master's past words. _Your lives were destined to cross paths_. Hopefully they would cross paths again.

"Find me Iggy," she whispered, as she closed her eyes. "Find me."

* * *

**Dudes! I'm so sorry! It's been so long and I was on this awesome cruise to Alaska... sorry to keep you guys waiting. m(_ _)m**

**This is OBVIOUSLY not the last chapter, but it's pretty long to make up for my absence on FF. Sorry again...**

**Anyhoo, this story is about to end. I can't believe it. It was my first story on FF and I told myself I wouldn't give up on it, and I didn't!**

**Thanks to all my supporters and hope you enjoyed reading! If you enjoyed, follow, fave, and review! ^_^**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Mackenzie let out a sigh as she sat down in her seat at the back of the classroom. Yes, classroom. It had already been more than a year since she had woken up in this town, part of her memory forgotten. She had decided to stop bouncing around from place to place and settled down here. Something about this town seemed right, and she had begun to earn her own money at an ice cream shop called Cold Stone Creamery. She soon discovered the amazing taste of ice cream, and it became her favorite food. Her favorite flavor was strawberry, though she wasn't sure how she had known. It seemed to bring back memories that she couldn't recall, no matter how hard she tried. She enrolled herself in the nearest high school to gain a normal education, and had been adapting to an average high school life, though she kept to herself and became a loner in fear of having her wings discovered, along with the fact most of the girls here were airheads and the guys perverted. It had been years since she had heard anything from the Lab or any similar facilities, so she decided that she was in the clear.

As the bell rang, the chattering girls around her quieted down as their teacher, Mrs. Barlow, entered the room, her heels clicking and clipboard in one arm. They're homerooms were split by gender, so she ended up being stuck with listening to about all the latest fashions and cute boys every single morning.

"Morning class. Today, we have some new students that have recently moved here. I hope you welcome them with school spirit and treat them respect. I'll let her introduce herself."

Mackenzie rolled her eyes and put her head down on the desk. There only seemed to be on girl, so the other must be guys. It wasn't like she was going to talk to them or anything. Might as well take a short nap before the bell rung again for their next class.

"I'm Max." a dull voice spoke, almost as if the girl didn't want to be here. Mackenzie could relate. She felt that hanging at the library would've given her a better education than this place could. But school was where the diplomas were, and she couldn't spend the rest of her life on the run. She had to start somewhere.

"Hi Max!" all the girls around her chorused in the same high pitched tone, as if they were welcoming a new crazy to a therapy session, though there wasn't much of a difference in her opinion.

"Go on and take a seat in the empty table behind Kenna. The bell will ring in a minute or two. Kenna raise your hand."

Mackenzie looked up and raised her hand lazily at the sound of her fake name. She wasn't sure when she might have to leave so she decided to stick with a fake name in case the school tried to track her. She finally looked at the new girl and was hit with an intense shock of familiarity. With brown and blonde sun streaked hair and a face that said, "Mess with me and I'll kick you into next week", the new girl's chocolate brown eyes stared deep into Mackenzie's and Max seemed to….recognize her?!

She shook her ridiculous thoughts off before putting her head back down on the desk. She still had a little time to rest before her next class. Her nightmares were gone, and hadn't reappeared since she had woken up here, but thoughts about her missing memory kept her tossing and turning every night, not literally, or she would've fallen out of the tree by now. However, she felt unsettled by Max's presence behind her, and could practically feel the new girl's eyes burning holes in her back. She finally couldn't handle it and turned around; trying to send the most uninviting look she could to her, though Max seemed unaffected, and even a little amused. "Would you stop it?"

Max did something that's surprised Mackenzie, as well as made her freeze in her spot. She reached over and placed her hand on Mackenzie's back, right over Mackenzie's wings. "Mackenzie."

Mackenzie was shocked to the core. How did this new girl know about her wings? And her real name?

"No, Max," a girl nearby giggled, "we already, like, asked Kenna if that was her real name and she said no."

Max looked at Mackenzie, an eyebrow raised. "Is that so?"

Mackenzie nodded weakly, the lump in her throat preventing her from saying too much. "Yeah."

"Oh. Well nice to meet you then, _Kenna_." Max said, before nodding and looking back down at her schedule, while trying to drown out the other girls questions about Max's 'hot guy relatives' going to school this also. Mackenzie turned back in her seat, her panic level at a new high. Was this girl a spy from the Lab? What was going on? Uncertainty overwhelmed her and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. The bell finally rung and she quickly grabbed her stuff, shooting out of her seat rushing out of the room faster than lightning, heading for her next class like her life depended on it. On the way, she could hear girls gossiping about the 'cute' new guy students. That only agitated her more. Were they spies too, like Max? She would have to avoid them as well.

By the time she arrived at her next class, all of Mackenzie' senses were alert and she checked her surroundings every minute, considering every possible escape route out of the room possible. Max didn't seem to be in the same class as her for first block, but she had to continue to watch for the others. Just as the bell rang and she let out a sigh of relief, an unfamiliar student walked in, followed by the teacher. She groaned inaudibly, before doing her best to block her face with a textbook.

Thankfully, the new student with black hair and black attire who had introduced himself as "Nick" was seated on the other side of the classroom and he didn't seem to have noticed her. However, as she rushed out the room to lunch, she overheard him ask the teacher who the "girl with auburn hair" was, making her even more worried than before. In the end, she had decided to skip the rest of the school day and head to Cold Stone Creamery where she worked.

As she opened the door to the small shop, the bell overhead jingled and the woman behind the counter turned around. Fiona was a kind, elderly woman that had immediately taken Mackenzie in as an employee. Her husband had died several years ago and she had inherited the shop, soon turning it into one of the most popular hangouts in the town. Mackenzie had grown fond of the only grandmother-like figure she had ever had in her life and greeted Fiona with a rare warm smile as she went over to hug the hardworking woman.

"Miss Mackenzie," Fiona immediately scolded as soon as she pulled away from the hug, "I do believe you should be in school right now."

Mackenzie replied with a sheepish look. "I know Fiona. I'm just having some problems today in school and wanted to get away from them."

Fiona merely considered her words before sternly saying, "You're not doing anything illegal are you?"

"Of course not! It's a more personal problem." She fiddled with her fingers. She had never felt this nervous since she had escape the Lab. Fiona nodded before saying, "As long as it's not illegal."

Mackenzie smiled quietly to herself. That was what she had liked about Fiona. She didn't judge anyone beforehand and didn't ask questions about things that Mackenzie couldn't explain.

"Well," she said, as she tied her usual waitress apron on, "As long as I'm here, escaping that black hole of education, I might as well help out."

Fiona chuckled. "You're going to have to do more than that if you want to be employee of the week sweetie."

Mackenzie shook her head in protest, a smile coming out from Fiona's teasing. "I don't care about that. I'm just glad that I can work for you."

Before Fiona could reply, the bell above the door rang, signaling another customer's arrival. Mackenzie turned to welcome them. "Welcome to Cold Stone Creamery. How may I…"

Her voice faded as she looked at her customers. It was Max and Nick!

* * *

**So... School starts tomorrow for me. How depressing ;_;**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! I can't believe that it's gonna end soon!**

**Thanks to all who read and supported this story! **

**If you enjoyed, please review, fave,**** and follow! And check out some of my other stories, if you have the time. ^_^**

**Less than three,**

**PalmerPie**


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